Nebraska Deserves Its Middle-of-the-Pack Status in Big Ten Football

See where the Huskers stack up in our conference tiers

Quarterback Anthony Colandrea was a big star in the Mountain West Conference. How will that translate to the more-difficult Big Ten? | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Those “way-too-early” rankings, by definition, are drizzled with uncertainty. That aside, two national rankings have Nebraska football right in the middle of the Big Ten pack.

And they might be right.

For all of their potential ambiguity — and regardless if fans agree with the results — too-early rankings can be fun, right? The day after Michigan won the NCAA basketball championship in April, we saw several “way-too-early” top 25 rankings for the 2026-27 season. And the prompt timing wasn’t unusual.

What we have today are rankings after spring practices — a “little-too-early” rankings, you might say. Teams have been through their spring drills and, in most cases, a spring game. Depth charts are formulated — some in ink, some unfinished and hopeful. Opening day still is 108 days away.

Nebraska’s rankings

The Huskers, coming off back-to-back 7-6 seasons, were ranked by ESPN as the eighth-best Big Ten team (out of 18). CBS Sports ranked the Huskers 10th.

Fair? Accurate? Biased?

Nebraska is right where you might expect. Where the Huskers deserve to be. Until Nebraska has a breakout season — with at least eight or nine wins, and with an unexpected win or two — this is the neighborhood where the Huskers reside.

Our rankings

We broke down the Big Ten into six tiers with spring practices in the rearview mirror. The Big Ten has three powerhouse teams and two teams possibly on the cusp of greatness. Three other teams are not quite there.

Some of those eight teams, with a season of mostly good breaks, could be in the College Football Playoff conversation in the fall. Some definitely will be.

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule faces a challenging season in 2026. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Our Nebraska ranking was lower than either ESPN or CBS Sports. Head coach Matt Rhule faces a challenging season, typical in the Big Ten.

The powerhouses (with Big Ten ranking, 2025 overall record and B1G regular-season record in parentheses)

1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Oregon

Ohio State (12-2, 9-0), as usual, will be a monster until it isn’t. The Buckeyes continue to land great recruiting classes that fuel their success. Eleven Buckeyes were drafted by the NFL in April.

Indiana (16-0, 9-0) was supposed to take a step back with a new quarterback last season, but Cal transfer Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy and led the Hoosiers to the national title. IU has another new quarterback in experienced TCU transfer Josh Hoover. Curt Cignetti quickly has built a remarkable program, and if the Hoosiers take a step back, college football will be shocked.

Oregon (13-2, 8-1) hasn’t won a national title under Dan Lanning, but the Ducks keep getting close. With returning quarterback Dante Moore, who might have been a top-five draft pick in April, the Ducks will be a handful. Former Huskers quarterback Dylan Raiola is an experienced backup for Moore.

Right there

4. Michigan
5. USC

Normally, a new head coach means a stressful transition, and that might be Michigan’s story in 2026. But Kyle Whittingham arrived from Utah and calmed the waters after Sherrone Moore was fired for cause. Michigan (9-4, 7-2) has talent — but enough through the entire roster? — and it will be interesting to see what Whittingham does with more talented athletes than he coached at Utah.

USC (9-4, 7-2) hasn’t made the College Football Playoff since the sport began playoffs in 2014. More is expected every season out of USC than is actually delivered. Jayden Maiava might be the best quarterback in the conference. Is he enough?

Just about there 

6. Washington
7. Penn State
8. Iowa

Washington (9-4, 5-4) played in the 2023 national title game — not that long ago. Now that quarterback Demond Williams Jr. decided to stay with the Huskies — he publicly flirted with the transfer portal — look out. Washington’s schedule is favorable until the final two weeks — vs. Indiana and at Oregon. Before that, an October game at USC could be troublesome, but if your team is CFP worthy, that’s a game you have to win.

Penn State (7-6, 3-6) moves forward with former Iowa State coach Matt Campbell and ISU quarterback Rocco Becht, who has started 39 games. Penn State doesn’t play Ohio State, Indiana or Oregon this season, so the Nittany Lions might be real close to a higher tier.

Iowa (9-4, 6-3) had a school-record seven players drafted in April. Still, Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes defense have a long history of winning. Iowa has won at least eight games in 10 consecutive seasons (not counting the 2020 COVID season). Until that stops, the Hawkeyes deserve this lofty ranking.

Not quite there

9. Illinois
10. Minnesota
11. Nebraska

Illinois (9-4, 5-4) always seems close to greatness. The Illini have won 19 games over the past two seasons including bowl wins over SEC teams South Carolina and Tennessee. Quarterback Luke Altmyer is now in the NFL and if the Illini replace him with quality, they could surprise a team or two.

Interestingly, Minnesota (8-5, 5-4) was 7-0 in Minneapolis, 0-5 on the road. Drake Lindsey, impressive as a redshirt freshman, could hold the key to the Golden Gophers’ season. There is talk about Lindsey being a top draft pick when he leaves college. We debated placing Nebraska ahead of the Gophers but for that 24-6 disaster in Minneapolis on a Friday night last October.

Nebraska (7-6, 4-5) has a new quarterback in UNLV transfer Anthony Colandrea, a new defensive coordinator in Rob Aurich, and a new offensive line coach in Geep Wade. There were other changes, too, but these three directly address weaknesses.

The Huskers desperately need a new defensive identity, and the ability to stop teams in the red zone. Nebraska ranked 133rd (out of 134 teams) in red-zone defense. Opponents scored on 37-of-38 red-zone trips (30 touchdowns and seven field goals).

Nebraska hopes offensive tackle Elijah Pritchett leads a revitalized offensive line. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nebraska also needs to better protect the quarterback (33 sacks). Colandrea will bring mobility to help the offensive line, keep plays alive and gain much-needed yards on the ground.

The biggest question about Colandrea: How will the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year in 2025 perform in the unrelenting, imposing Big Ten? It’s a fair question.

Nebraska can improve in all three areas, but with its difficult schedule — Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon — the Huskers still might not have a breakthrough, eight-win season.

Let’s try something new

12. UCLA
13. Northwestern
14. Wisconsin

UCLA (3-9, 3-6) has a new head coach, Bob Chesney from James Madison, perhaps hoping for some of that Cignetti magic. Cignetti went from JMU to a national championship at Indiana.

Northwestern (7-6, 4-5) added Chip Kelly to juice up the offense. Kelly, highly successful at Oregon, bombed out in the NFL, and was Ohio State’s offensive coordinator in 2024 and 2025. If Kelly can add some zip to the Wildcats, this could be a surprise team in 2026 — and a fun one, too.

Wisconsin (4-8, 1-8) coach Luke Fickell surprisingly returns for a fourth season. What’s new in Madison is quarterback Colton Joseph, a transfer from Old Dominion. More than 30 transfers will try to help turn around the Badgers, a program used to success.

Long way to go

15. Maryland
16. Michigan State
17. Rutgers
18. Purdue

Maryland (4-8, 1-8) has talented quarterback Malik Washington returning for his sophomore season. The Terrapins also have talent on defense. They need a breakout win, too. Maryland lost its final eight games of 2025.

Former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald takes over a Michigan State program that is looking for improvement. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald’s charge is to return Michigan State (4-8, 1-8) to football glory. That might happen, but it likely won’t happen in Fitzgerald’s first season.

Rutgers (5-7, 2-7) seems to swim upstream every season. The Scarlet Knights often show potential but can’t always sustain success against Big Ten competition.

Purdue (2-10, 0-9) was the West Division representative in the Big Ten title game in 2022. Heritage is in Purdue’s DNA, but the Boilers have struggled in the conference.

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