You might expect Nebraska’s bye week would mean little to no movement in the seven polls and rankings we monitor. But there were changes.
Despite sitting it out last Saturday, the Huskers improved in three rankings of the seven we monitor. Maybe absence does make the heart grow fonder, at least among certain voters.
Nebraska dropped in two rankings, remained the same in one, and didn’t get votes for the second consecutive week in the AP Top 25 Poll.
What’s also interesting is the AP Top 25 Poll. Heading into Halloween weekend, five Big Ten teams, as expected, are in the AP Top 25. Ohio State and Indiana are supposed to be there. The other three are a complete surprise — UCLA (7), Northwestern (20) and Wisconsin (25).
“The biggest travesty right now is the Preseason Top 25,” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said at his Monday news conference. “If that was a stock market, would you put your money in it?”
Rhule makes a good point. UCLA, Northwestern and Wisconsin are nowhere to be found in the AP Preseason Top 25 — not even among “others receiving votes.” Nebraska didn’t receive any votes, either.
Eight Big Ten teams were in the AP Preseason Top 25:
* Ohio State: 1
* Oregon: 2
* Indiana: 6
* USC: 14
* Michigan: 16
* Washington: 17
* Penn State: 18
* Iowa: 22
Currently, only Ohio State (2) and Indiana (4) are in the AP Top 25.
In the Big Ten Preseason Media Poll conducted by Cleveland.com, Wisconsin was picked to finish 12th in the conference, UCLA was picked 13th and Northwestern was picked 14th. Nebraska was picked 11th.
Had Nebraska (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) defeated either Indiana or Oregon, the Huskers would have been a top-25 team. But they didn’t so here we are.
Nebraska returns to action Saturday night vs. Washington (4-3, 1-3) in the Blackout game at Memorial Stadium (7 o’clock, Big Ten Network).
Each Wednesday, we look at where seven national polls and rankings place Nebraska.
The seven polls and rankings we monitor are:
* Associated Press Top 25
* The Athletic 138
* CBS Sports 138
* USA Today Coaches Poll
* ESPN’s Football Power Index
* Massey Ratings
* Sagarin Ratings
The Huskers rank 25.0 this week in an average of the polls and rankings we monitor. Last week, it was 25.5. A slight improvement without even playing.
Nebraska’s best ranking is 13 by ESPN’s Football Power Index (last week it was 15), and its worst ranking remains by The Athletic at 34 (last week it was 34, too).
Associated Press Top 25
After four weeks of “others receiving votes,” Nebraska received zero votes for the second consecutive week. Thirty-four teams received votes.
Five Big Ten teams are ranked in the Top 25, including three teams in the top 7. Ohio State is the highest-ranked conference team at 2, improving by one spot while on a bye Saturday. Nebraska plays Ohio State on Nov. 21 at Memorial Stadium.
2. Ohio State
4. Indiana
7. UCLA
20. Northwestern
25. Wisconsin
Iowa, USC and Minnesota are the Big Ten teams among “others receiving votes.” Iowa is 26, Minnesota is 31 and USC is 32.
The Athletic 138
Nebraska stayed at 34. The Athletic has ranked the Huskers worse than any other ranking each week. Five weeks ago, Nebraska ranked 58. The Huskers finished 52 last season.
Ohio State is ranked No. 1, with Indiana seventh and UCLA eighth.
CBS Sports 138
Nebraska improved by one place to 28. The Huskers are ranked ahead of the following 11 Big Ten teams:
30. Minnesota
31. USC
44. Oregon
45. Michigan
51. Illinois
57. Washington
58. Penn State
78. Purdue
100. Michigan State
108. Rutgers
110. Maryland
Nebraska still is yet to play Washington, Illinois and Rutgers from this group in 2026.
Six Big Ten teams are ranked above Nebraska:
2. Ohio State
4. Indiana
5. UCLA
16. Northwestern
23. Wisconsin
26. Iowa
Nebraska is yet to play Ohio State and Iowa from this group.
USA Today Coaches Poll
Nebraska is among “others receiving votes” at 32, down from 31 last week. Despite dropping a place, the Huskers increased the number of votes it received. Nebraska went to 27 points, up from 19 last week. The 25th-ranked team, USC, has 132 points. The USA Today panel consists of 72 coaches who vote, including Matt Rhule.
ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI)
Nebraska moved to 13 from 15, still the Huskers’ best ranking among the seven we monitor.
Nebraska’s season FPI odds decreased, slightly, in five of six projections. FPI gives the five-win Huskers a 99.9 percent chance to win six games and become bowl eligible.
Here are FPI’s odds and projections for Nebraska’s season:
* Chance of winning six games, which would make the Huskers bowl eligible: 99.9 percent (last week: 99.8)
* 8.3 projected wins and 3.7 projected losses (last week: 8.4 projected wins and 3.6 projected losses)
* 0.2 percent chance of winning the Big Ten (last week: 0.3 percent chance)
* 8.2 percent chance of making the College Football Playoff (last week: 8.5 percent chance)
* 0.6 percent chance of making the national championship game (last week: 0.7 percent chance)
* 0.2 percent chance of winning the national championship (last week: 0.3)
Massey Ratings
Massey Ratings are a compilation of 40 different rankings. In the consensus of the 40 rankings, the Huskers dropped to 27 from 24. Ohio State is at No. 1 for the second consecutive week, followed by Indiana, Miami, Georgia and Utah.
Sagarin Ratings
Nebraska improved by three spots, going to 16 from 19. Sagarin has Ohio State at No. 1 followed by Notre Dame, Miami, LSU and Georgia.
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