Is 'Big Brother' Back? Nebraska’s First All-Major Sports Sweep of Creighton Since 1995-96

30 years after Nebraska last went an athletic year without losing to Creighton, the Huskers finished a perfect 7-0 across every major sport that played in 2025-26.

For the first time since the 1995-96 season, Nebraska went undefeated against in-state rival Creighton across all major sports. | Amarillo Mullen

When the Nebraska baseball team walked off the field with an 8-4 win over Creighton on Tuesday, there were no confetti guns or the team dogpiling on the mound (nor should there have been), but the team accomplished something that hadn’t been done in 30 years on that night.

Nebraska, across all major sports, never lost to Creighton throughout the year. The last time NU accomplished that was the 1995-96 season…I was 9, and I’m not exactly a spring chicken.

For months, Nebraska’s unbeaten run against Creighton across the major sports carried the feel of a developing storyline rather than a finished statement. There were close games, emotional swings, loud environments and enough history between the programs to assume that eventually something would break Creighton’s way.

It just never did.

Omaha's team. 🧹🧹🧹 pic.twitter.com/ouzAjImM2U

— Nebraska Baseball (@HuskerBaseball) May 13, 2026

At least in the modern era of the rivalry, it’s almost impossible to find a comparison this year. Nebraska finished the 2025-26 athletic year a perfect 7-0 against the Bluejays, and the crazy run almost never got off the ground thanks to arguably Nebraska’s most celebrated team.

The volleyball team was pushed to the brink by their in-state rival, escaping with a five-set win to the tune of 25-17, 21-25, 25-18, 24-26, 15-9. Little did the top-ranked Huskers know at the time that the 1-0 start to the year against their neighbors to the east would only pick up steam from there.

Women’s basketball accelerated it with a dominant rout of CU, defeating the Lady Jays 84-50. Then the men’s basketball team followed suit with another blowout of the Jays to the tune of 71-50 in early December. The dominating win all of a sudden turned a closer-than-expected volleyball win into a statewide conversation on if Nebraska’s finally regaining control of the rivalry.

Even former Creighton men's basketball coach Greg McDermott admitted Nebraska was simply too much for his team this year. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Then on to spring we went, where softball and baseball just got done protecting the undefeated streak against the Bluejays. The softball team faced Creighton just once and left with an 8-2 win over the Jays on March 31. The baseball team, on the other hand, endured three games against their rival, but as of Tuesday, completed the sweep with wins of 6-5 (March 31), 5-4 (April 13) and 8-4 (May 12).

The deeper story isn’t that Nebraska went 7-0 against its in-state rival this year. Instead, it’s how different the victories looked from one another and what that says about where Nebraska athletics currently stands in comparison.

The original conversation surrounding the streak centered heavily on composure. Nebraska coaches across all sports repeatedly emphasized staying present, avoiding emotional swings and treating rivalry games as simply “the next game.”

That explanation made sense in March and April when the streak was still active and vulnerable.

The Husker basketball teams had the most convincing wins over Creighton this year, with the women winning by 34 and the men by 21. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Now that the regular seasons are complete, a broader pattern becomes easier to identify. Nebraska didn’t dominate Creighton in one singular way. The Huskers won through depth in some sports, physicality in others, crowd energy in others and late-game execution almost across the board.

The victories reflected an athletic department that, for one full year, consistently looked bigger, stronger and faster than Creighton, which hasn’t been the case for three decades.

The distinction matters because Creighton isn’t some overmatched regional opponent Nebraska schedules for convenience. In several sports, especially basketball and volleyball, Creighton has nationally respected programs capable of beating virtually anyone in the country. That’s why this run stands out historically.

Creighton gave the top-ranked Husker volleyball team in a five-set thriller that leaned Nebraska's way late. | Nebraska Athletics

The volleyball match back in September probably foreshadowed the season better than anyone realized at the time. Nebraska was considered the best team in the country, but the five-set battle against Creighton felt fragile throughout the night. The atmosphere carried postseason intensity, and Creighton repeatedly forced Nebraska into uncomfortable moments.

The Huskers survived because they handled pressure more cleanly late in sets and because their roster depth eventually showed itself over the course of the match.

In the women’s basketball win, Nebraska overwhelmed Creighton with pace and defensive pressure in an 84-50 win that became one of the most lopsided results of the season series. The men’s 21-point win carried a different kind of significance because of how often Creighton has controlled the rivalry historically.

For Nebraska fans, that December win felt less like an upset and more like evidence that the balance between the programs has shifted, at least temporarily. The environment inside Pinnacle Bank Arena reflected that feeling. That subtle psychological difference matters in rivalry games, especially against an opponent that has spent years hearing opposing fan bases discuss them with a certain level of anxiety.

Creighton coach Greg McDermott’s postgame comments about Nebraska’s role players were revealing afterward. He pointed to continuity, discipline and players embracing specific responsibilities.

The Nebraska men's basketball team had little issue with Creighton in early December. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Across the spectrum, Nebraska rarely looked chaotic against Creighton. Even when games tightened late, the Huskers typically appeared calmer and more connected in pressure moments, and the baseball team may have illustrated that best.

Creighton forced Nebraska into stressful innings in two games that inevitably became one-run Husker wins – in large part to Nebraska not cracking under the pressure the Jays were putting on. The Husker softball team also felt some pushback, but stabilized behind strong pitching and eventually separated late in an 8-2 win.

The two Nebraska wins back on March 31 demonstrated Nebraska’s ability to absorb Creighton’s best counterpunches, and that’s where this season became different from many previous years in the rivalry. Historically, Creighton has often thrived in emotionally volatile environments against Nebraska. The Bluejays have built successful programs partially because they rarely look intimidated by larger brands or bigger stages.

This year, Nebraska consistently absorbed momentum swings without allowing games to unravel. The baseball rematch on April 14 followed a similar script. Nebraska won 5-4 in another game where Creighton stayed within striking distance throughout the night. Then came the May 12 meeting in Omaha, the final chapter of the season series and perhaps the most symbolic result of all.

Nebraska baseball edged Creighton by just one run in two of their three wins against the Jays this spring. | Nebraska Athletics

By that point, everyone involved understood what was at stake.

Nebraska was not just playing for another baseball win. The Huskers were playing to complete a clean sweep across every sport that had faced Creighton during the 2025-26 athletic year.

The pressure surrounding that kind of opportunity can become dangerous because rivalry games tend to magnify tension naturally. One bad inning or one emotional mistake can suddenly shift an entire narrative. Instead, Nebraska handled the moment with maturity.

The Huskers built another lead, responded when Creighton applied pressure and ultimately finished with an 8-4 win that officially closed the door on the season series.

Seven games. Seven wins.

Even the spring volleyball exhibition win in Omaha (we’re not counting that) mattered because it reinforced the larger psychological reality of the year. Nebraska kept showing up against Creighton and leaving with victories regardless of the setting, timing or sport involved.

The Husker volleyball team wiped out Creighton during a spring volleyball exhibition. | Nebraska Athletic

That consistency is difficult to manufacture in rivalries because rivalries usually resist clean narratives. Creighton still competed well throughout the year. Several games remained tense and it can be argued that CU could have easily flipped a few baseball games and possibly that volleyball match in the fall.  

However, Nebraska consistently executed better when games became uncomfortable. The comparison to the 1995-96 athletic year becomes interesting here because it may be the closest historical parallel anyone can find.

That season, Nebraska men’s basketball, women’s basketball and softball all finished undefeated against Creighton. Baseball never lost either, though one and only matchup with the Jays ended in a 6-6 tie. Volleyball did not play Creighton that year.

That context makes 2025-26 feel historically unique because there are no technical qualifiers attached to it. Nebraska simply won everything.

The Huskers may have gone 7-0 against the Jays this season, but they're not quite to the level of "owning" Creighton just yet. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

That does not necessarily mean Nebraska permanently “owns” the rivalry now or that future seasons will resemble this one. Rivalries rarely stay one-sided forever, especially when both schools continue investing heavily in athletics, but this season undeniably shifts part of the modern conversation.

For years, Creighton has often carried momentum in at least one high-profile sport at a time, particularly men’s basketball. Nebraska fans could point to isolated wins or strong seasons, but rarely an athletic department-wide edge that felt this comprehensive.

The sweep also reflects the broader strength of Nebraska athletics this year. The Huskers have consistently fielded nationally relevant teams with experienced leadership and clear identities. That matters in rivalry games because identity often becomes the difference once emotion levels rise.

Nebraska relied on depth and senior leadership across several sports to outduel Creighton all year. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nebraska simply had fewer weaknesses across the board this year. Ultimately, though, nobody inside Nebraska’s programs seemed especially interested in celebrating it while it was happening. Coaches consistently downplayed the significance of the rivalry publicly and framed each matchup as another game on the schedule.

It sounded cliché and always will, but it’s also intentional. Husker coaches understand that the moment teams start chasing narratives instead of execution, problems usually follow.

Instead, Nebraska stayed consistent emotionally throughout the year and was never overwhelmed by the attention surrounding the rivalry, nor did they seem interested in turning individual games into referendum moments.

It was never one singular play or one dramatic comeback, but the Huskers repeatedly looked composed while stacking victories one after another until eventually there were no games left to play.