Nebraska’s 5-0 start has the Huskers climbing across the national board, and the timing couldn’t be better with Indiana waiting on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Across the seven polls and rankings tracked here, Nebraska moved up in six of them after its 48-23 win over Maryland. The biggest leap came from The Athletic, where the Huskers jumped 15 spots to No.
- That remains Nebraska’s lowest placement among the services monitored, but it still reflects real upward movement after a game that started messy and finished with Nebraska taking control by outscoring Maryland 20-0 in the fourth quarter.
The only ranking to push Nebraska backward was Jeff Sagarin’s, which slid the Huskers to 18 from 16. ESPN’s Football Power Index also had mixed movement in Nebraska’s season outlook, with some numbers improving and others dipping.
The overall picture is still trending up. Nebraska’s average ranking across the seven services is 24.1 this week, a notable rise from 27.7 last week.
The Huskers’ best spot remains ESPN’s FPI, which has them at 13 after ranking them 14 last week. Their worst slot is still The Athletic’s No.
Nebraska still hasn’t broken into the Top 25, but it did move up in the “others receiving votes” category, climbing to 31 from 33. That marks the third straight week the Huskers have received votes after being shut out in the first four rankings. Nebraska got 48 votes, while Pitt is 25th with 162.
In the AP Top 25, six Big Ten teams are ranked. Ohio State sits highest among them at No. 5 after moving up two spots following its 31-14 win at Iowa.
Indiana is No. 7, Oregon No.
13, USC No. 19, Iowa No. 20 and UCLA No.
That matters for Nebraska’s schedule, too. The Huskers will face the Big Ten’s top three teams in the AP Poll this season, along with Iowa.
Nebraska also sits in the mix among the Big Ten’s receiving-votes group, landing at No. 31. Wisconsin is 28, Northwestern 30, Nebraska 31 and Minnesota 32.
The Athletic’s latest jump was especially eye-catching because Nebraska was sitting at 58 two weeks ago and finished 52 last season. The outlet’s note on the Huskers was direct: “Nebraska lacks quality wins, but the Huskers are 5-0 with a monster game against Indiana coming up.”
CBS Sports has Nebraska at 28, up from 30. In that ranking, the Huskers are ahead of 11 Big Ten teams listed below them: Northwestern, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Washington, Penn State, Michigan, Purdue, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan State and Rutgers.
Nebraska is yet to play Washington, Illinois and Rutgers from that group in 2026.
USA Today’s Coaches Poll has Nebraska at 28 as well, up from 31. The Huskers are in the “others receiving votes” section there with 117 points, while Kentucky holds the No. 25 spot with 210.
Michigan and Penn State dropped out of the Top 25. The panel includes 72 coaches, among them Matt Rhule.
Massey Ratings, which compile 40 different college football rankings, moved Nebraska up to 18 from 22. Alabama is No. 1 in that composite, followed by Texas, Georgia, Indiana and Notre Dame.
Sagarin still has Alabama at No. 1, with Nebraska falling to 18 from 16.
ESPN’s FPI gives Nebraska a 99.9 percent chance of winning six games and becoming bowl eligible, up from 99.4 percent. It projects the Huskers for 9.0 wins and 3.2 losses, compared with 8.8 wins and 3.3 losses last week. The model now gives Nebraska a 3.4 percent chance to win the Big Ten, 25.7 percent to reach the College Football Playoff, 1.6 percent to make the national championship game and 0.5 percent to win it all.
Nebraska’s showdown with Indiana is the kind of game that can move every one of these numbers in a hurry. A win would send the Huskers soaring in the rankings and change the national conversation around the program.
In Other News...
Indiana Defense Faces A Real Test Against Nebraska's Passing Attack
Nebraskas passing game is drawing attention at just the right time, with offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen pointing to wide receiver Kwazi Gilmers recent surge and the chemistry he has built with quarterback Anthony Colandrea. Ahead of a difficult matchup with Indiana, Holgorsen also discussed Colandreas style of play and the return of running back Jamal Rule, underscoring how much of Nebraskas offensive rhythm still depends on preparation and timing in practice.
Indianas defense looms as a real test for a Nebraska attack that will need to carry over that connection from the practice field to game day. With Gilmer emerging and Rule back in the mix, the Cornhuskers have reasons to believe their offense can answer the challenge, but the matchup is set up to reveal how much of that progress can hold up against one of the tougher defensive groups on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Heads Into A Huge Road Test Nebraska Desperately Needs
Nebraska gets one of the defining games of its season when No. 7 Indiana comes to town for a Big Ten matchup that carries more weight than the usual early-October drama. For the Cornhuskers, it is also a long-awaited opportunity, their first chance since 2016 to beat an AP Top 25 opponent, and the matchup brings together a ranked Hoosiers team that has earned plenty of respect with a Nebraska program still trying to validate its progress.
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said he was fired up about the trip to Lincoln and singled out Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea for the stress he can create as a dual-threat playmaker. Matt Rhule, meanwhile, has already framed Colandreas job in the offense against the backdrop of some of Nebraskas past greats, while also acknowledging just how demanding this test will be against an Indiana team that can beat you on both sides of the ball. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Could Catch Oregon At A Very Different Time Saturday
Dante Moore is back on the practice field for Oregon, but the Ducks still appear to be taking the long view with their quarterback as they move toward Saturdays matchup against UCLA. Coach Dan Lanning said Moore has been gradually working back while recovering from a concussion, and the approach has been measured enough that the Ducks are unlikely to ask him to do too much too soon.
For Nebraska fans keeping an eye on the Big Ten picture, the more immediate wrinkle is the change under center if Moore sits. Dylan Raiola is expected to start in his place, and that shifts the spotlight to how Oregon handles the game plan with a backup quarterback when the conference schedule is already tight. It leaves UCLA facing a very different version of the Ducks than the one it prepared for at the start of the week. [Read more 🡒]