Nebraska Football Fails to Receive Votes in Coaches, AP Poll for Second Time in 2025

The Huskers received no votes in either poll after their 21-17 loss to USC on Saturday night.

Nebraska tight end Heinrich Haarberg lines up at quarterback and attempts to draw USC offsides. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nebraska football failed to receive any top 25 consideration for the second time in Matt Rhule's third season in Lincoln.

The Huskers (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) did not receive votes in this week's USA Today Coaches poll. The Big Red did not receive votes from the AP for back-to-back weeks after earning the No. 25 spot prior to NU's 24-6 loss at Minnesota on Oct. 17.

Nebraska has received votes from the coaches' rankings in nine of the 11 weeks of the in-season polls. The Huskers were the 38th-highest rated team in last week's coaches poll. Nebraska peaked at 27th in the coaches' poll prior to the Minnesota loss.

Nebraska lost on the scoreboard, but more importantly, the Huskers also lost starting quarterback Dylan Raiola with a season-ending injury. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nebraska had continually lost votes in the Associated Press rankings despite early-season success, losing votes after each of the Huskers' home blowout wins over Akron and Houston Christian. Following the loss to Michigan, Nebraska failed to garner any votes in back-to-back weeks, but resurfaced in the "receiving votes" category as the 30th-ranked program by the Associated Press after the Huskers' 38-27 home win over Michigan State on Oct. 4. Nebraska then climbed another five spots after the road victory at Maryland to No. 25, but failed to earn recognition in back-to-back weeks after suffering the second loss of the season.

The Big Ten Conference remained in the driver's seat of the top 25 rankings as No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana continued their hold at the top two spots. No. 6 Oregon remained in the top 10, giving the conference three top 10 teams in both polls. No. 20/21 Michigan, No. 21/20 USC, No. 24/RV Iowa, and RV/No. 25 Washington added three more ranked teams for the Big Ten, totaling six total programs in each poll. Iowa jumped into the coaches poll top 25 after being outside the rankings in previous weeks, as Washington joined the ranked programs in the AP poll. Washington, Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota received votes in this week's polls.

The Southeastern Conference controlled the middle of the top 10 rankings once again, as No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 Alabama, and No. 5 Georgia remained in the center of the top of the rankings. No. 7 Mississippi joined the three other programs in the top 10 for a second week, giving the SEC four top 10 programs. No. 12 Oklahoma, No. 13 Texas, No. 16 Vanderbilt, No. 17 Missouri, and No. 22 Tennessee all earned spots in this week's top 25, totaling nine SEC ranked teams. LSU also earned votes in this week's polls.

The Atlantic Coast Conference lost its top 10 teams with Miami (FL)'s loss to SMU, as the ACC's highest-rated team is No. 11/12 Virginia. No. 14/16 Georgia Tech also dropped out of the top 10, while No. 15/14 Louisville and No. 18 Miami (FL) remained in the top 25. The ACC totaled four top 25 teams, while Pittsburgh and SMU received votes in this week's rankings.

Matt Rhule will lead Nebraska out west for a showdown with UCLA this week. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The Big 12 added another top 10 team as No. 8 BYU and No. 9 Texas Tech jumped into the top of the polls, while No. 19/17 Utah and No. 25 Cincinnati gave the conference four ranked teams. Houston and Arizona State both received votes in this week's rankings.

No. 10 Notre Dame inched into the top 10 as the highest non-Power Four program ranked in both polls. No. 23/22 Memphis also earned a spot in the top 25 for the second week. James Madison, San Diego State, North Texas, and South Florida all received votes in this week's polls.

Nebraska has lost 29 games in a row against competition ranked by the Associated Press Top 25, including the week four loss to Michigan and Saturday's 21-17 home loss to USC. The Huskers' last top 25 victory was against No. 22 Oregon in 2016. The Big Red will have one top 25 battle remaining in its current schedule, as the Huskers host No. 24/RV Iowa on Black Friday.

Nebraska travels to UCLA on Saturday to battle the Bruins in the Rose Bowl. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. CST, with television coverage on FOX. The contest will be broadcast across the Huskers Radio Network and its affiliate stations.

USA Today Coaches Top 25

1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Texas A&M
4. Alabama
5. Georgia
6. Oregon
7. Mississippi
8. BYU
9. Texas Tech
10. Notre Dame
11. Virginia
12. Oklahoma
13. Texas
14. Georgia Tech
15. Louisville
16. Vanderbilt
17. Missouri
18. Miami (FL)
19. Utah
20. Michigan
21. USC
22. Tennessee
23. Memphis
24. Iowa
25. Cincinnati

Associated Press Top 25

1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Texas A&M
4. Alabama
5. Georgia
6. Oregon
7. Mississippi
8. BYU
9. Texas Tech
10. Notre Dame
11. Oklahoma
12. Virginia
13. Texas
14. Louisville
15. Vanderbilt
16. Georgia Tech
17. Utah
18. Miami (FL)
19. Missouri
20. USC
21. Michigan
22. Memphis
23. Tennessee
24. Washington
25. Cincinnati

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