Can Nebraska Finally Beat a Ranked Team?

On New Year's Eve, the Nebraska football team will once again try to walk out of a shadow that's been over the program since September 17, 2016.

Nebraska's last win over a ranked opponent came on September 17, 2016, when they beat No. 22 Oregon 35-32 in Lincoln. | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

It’s the most talked-about stat of the 2025 Nebraska football season, and for at least a few more days, that’s not going to change.

Nebraska, which was ranked itself this season, hasn’t beaten a nationally-ranked team since September 17, 2016. That’s when No. 22 Oregon came to Lincoln and left with a narrow 35-32 loss to Nebraska.

For those doing the math, we’re sitting at about nine years and three months since that win over the Ducks. When Nebraska kicks off against No. 15 Utah on Wednesday, that tally will be up to 3,392 days. The winless streak is now up to 29-straight games against nationally-ranked foes, and it’s safe to say the Big Red are hearing all about it yet again this week in Las Vegas.

“Circumstances change a lot,” Nebraska junior defensive lineman Cam Lenhardt said during his bowl week press conference. “We always like an underdog story, you know what I mean? Coach always references Bud Crawford. Bud Crawford came to Vegas, he was an underdog, so it’s not about what Vegas says, it’s what we could do out there and we trust each other and believe in ourselves.”

Nebraska wide receiver Jacory Barney Jr. knows this year's team has what it takes to beat a nationally-ranked team, but will they on Wednesday? | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

“Just going out there and knowing we’re a Big Ten team and just letting them know how we play in the Big Ten – physical and hard-nosed, and that’s how we expect to play,” Nebraska sophomore wide receiver Jacory Barney Jr. echoed during his bowl week press conference. “We get a chance – a last shot with my guys to prove ourselves and to build off this going to next year. (If) you beat a ranked opponent, it’ll set us up good for next year.”

It’ll be yet another domino Nebraska coach Matt Rhule can finally knock down, which he’s proven he can do. Rhule inherited a Nebraska team from Scott Frost that frankly didn’t know how to win close games and at times – even win the “easy” games. It’s been an entire culture reset for the Huskers since Rhule showed up, and slowly, but surely, the third-year Husker coach is knocking down key dominoes.

With a chance to end one of the ugliest streaks in program history this week, Rhule is making sure the team has fun, but also has their heads on a swivel come Wednesday.

Nebraska is starting to "dial in" with the Las Vegas Bowl just a day away. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

“We’re here to play a football game,” Rhule said during his bowl week press conference. “We have a chance to go out and play a top-ranked team and what an experience it is and play one more game together. I think the guys have all focused at a high level.”

NU will need all the focus it can get as it tries to overcome both injuries and the opting out of star running back Emmett Johnson, who is preparing for an NFL career after a stellar junior season in Lincoln. Fortunately, as some guys bow out of the 2025 season, Nebraska quarterback TJ Lateef seems to be rounding into form just in time for the Las Vegas Bowl against the Utes.

“He looks good out there in practice, so I’m excited for him to play,” Rhule said. “He just took every rep. We’ve been cautious with him because obviously, we have a game. We want to get them to the game, but he looks fast. He looks like he can run the football. I think the entire offense is up with him, and we’ll run him. We’ll move him around and we’ll play.”

NU coach Matt Rhule says quarterback TJ Lateef is rounding back into form just in time for the team's Las Vegas Bowl showdown with No. 15 Utah. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

It also helps that a bowl game like this gives Nebraska the “one-off” mentality. The team that will jog out of the tunnel on Wednesday doesn’t resemble what fans saw for most of the season in Lincoln, and it likely won’t resemble what they’ll see when the 2026 season kicks off in August.

There are new coaches, new faces and likely a new approach to how NU will play this game. However, for this one game, this team has the chance to do something that nearly a decade of previous teams couldn’t.

The opportunity comes against a 15th-ranked Utah team that’s dealing with its own fair share of opt-outs and coaching changes, none being bigger than the departure of longtime head coach Kyle Whittingham. Just this week, Whittingham left the Utes to take on the head coaching job at Michigan.

Kyle Whittingham won't be coaching Utah in this week's Las Vegas Bowl, as he's now taken over as head coach at Michigan. | Jeff Swinger-Imagn Images

The Utes knew their time was coming to an end soon with Whittingham, but many players thought they’d still get a bowl game sendoff with him. Well, think again. Whittingham’s in Ann Arbor.

“I mean, he got to Vegas and talked to his team and all of a sudden he’s the coach of Michigan,” Rhule said of the sudden changes with Whittingham. “I was kind of hearing some rumors that he might get that job about a week ago, kind of before it popped. Obviously, when he announced it was his last game, I was like, ‘Great, one more thing for Utah to be fired up about.‘ They’re a great football team. I know they’ll be excited.”

With game prep all but wrapped up for the Huskers, the players are now working on match-ups they expect to see when the ball is kicked off Wednesday afternoon. For receiver Jacory Barney Jr., he’s not only excited to see the ball coming his way from Lateef, but also the kickoff itself.

Nebraska wide receiver Jacory Barney Jr. says he feels special teams could have a "special" impact in the upcoming Las Vegas Bowl. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

“I feel like special teams will be a big factor in this game because it’s the last game of the season,” Barney Jr. said. “Some people may not be locked all the way in. Those key moments can be a big turnaround in the game. When it comes to the beginning games, those (are) about minimizing mistakes and capitalizing where you can.”

It’s been more than a month since the Nebraska football team’s taken the field, and for those with a short memory, you don’t want to think about the last few times the Huskers have been on the field. It was far from a pretty end to the season for a Husker team that shot out to seven wins by October.

Now, on the final day of 2025, Nebraska will look to close out the year and start anew with a statement win against a very good Utah team.

“I think they’re a good group,” Barney Jr. said of Utah. “I feel like it’ll be a good game for us. I see it as another chance to beat a ranked opponent. If we do that, the fans will feel good about it going into next year. That’ll give us some confidence going into next year and having TJ get that win, I feel that’ll be good for us.”

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