Nebraska Football Remains Unranked, Continues Receiving Votes in Coaches, AP Polls

Despite back-to-back blowout victories, the Huskers aren't getting much traction in the national rankings.

Nebraska wide receiver Dane Key makes a catch and run for the 39-yard touchdown against Houston Christian. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

After handling its past two opponents by a combined score of 127-7, Nebraska football expected to earn more national respect. Instead, the Huskers continue to face an uphill climb back into the national conversation.

Nebraska (3-0, 0-0 B1G) received fewer votes in both the USA Today Coaches poll and the Associated Press poll on Sunday, remaining in the "receiving votes" category of each ranking. It marks the fourth straight poll and third consecutive week that the Huskers have received votes but failed to crack the top 25.

Nebraska was the 38th-best vote-getter in the coaches poll and the 35th-highest rated team following the Huskers' neutral site win against Cincinnati in week one, and pushed to the 35th-highest rated team in last week's coaches poll and Associated Press polls after the 68-0 home win against Akron. Nebraska was the 36th-highest ranked team in the coaches poll this week, while moving to 34th by the AP. The Huskers totaled 24 votes from the coaches, up from 19 in last week's rankings, while dropping a vote from week three's 10 votes received by the Associated Press.

Nebraska wide receiver Nyziah Hunter gains 36 yards against Akron. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nebraska remained behind South Carolina, BYU, Arizona State, USC, Tulane, Louisville, TCU, South Florida, and Mississippi State in each poll. The Huskers received more votes than Baylor, North Carolina State, UNLV, Navy, Memphis, Washington, and California in each ranking.

The Big Ten Conference remained strong with six conference teams ranked in the coaches poll and seven by the Associated Press. The Big Ten once again led each poll with No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Penn State. No. 5/6 Oregon and No. 8/9 Illinois added two more conference teams into the top ten, while No. 17/19 Indiana, No. 20/21 Michigan, and RV/No. 25 USC all claimed spots in the top 25. USC, Nebraska, and Washington each received votes in the coaches poll, while Nebraska was the lone Big Ten team in the receiving votes category from the Associated Press.

The Southeastern Conference boasted 12 teams ranked in the top 25 by the coaches rankings and 11 teams by the Associated Press. No. 3/5 Georgia and No. 4/3 LSU led the pack for the SEC, while No. 7/8 Texas and No. 10 Texas A&M matched the Big Ten's top 10 programs. No. 11/13 Ole Miss, No. 12/11 Oklahoma, No. 14 Alabama, No. 15 Tennessee, No. 22/23 Missouri, No. 23/20 Vanderbilt, No. 24/RV South Carolina, and No. 25/22 Auburn all earned nods in this week's polls.

Sep 13, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets fans wave a tifo against the Clemson Tigers in the fourth quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Atlantic Coast Conference lost a major spot in the polls as Clemson fell out of the top 25 in both rankings from its preseason top 10 rating. Leading the ACC are No. 6/4 Miami and No. 9/7 Florida State, while No. 19 /18 Georgia Tech adds a third representative for the ACC. Louisville, Clemson, SMU, and North Carolina State all received votes in this week's rankings.

The Big 12 Conference failed to garner a top-10 team, but did add three teams to the top 25 of each poll. No. 13/12 Iowa State leads the Big 12, while No. 16/17 Texas Tech and No. 1816 Utah also earned top 25 nods. BYU, Arizona State, TCU, Baylor, and Kansas all received votes.

No. 21/24 Notre Dame dropped double-digit spots after falling 41-40 to Texas A&M, pushing the Fighting Irish to 0-2 on the season. There were no Group of Five programs represented in the top 25, but South Florida remained the highest vote-receiving program outside of Power Four programs by the Associated Press. Tulane received the most votes for a Group of Five program in the coaches poll.

Sep 13, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher Jr. (4) reaches for extra yards against the South Florida Bulls in the fourth quarte at Hard Rock Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Huskers aim to take down a top 25 program on Saturday, hosting No. 20/21 Michigan at Memorial Stadium. The game is the third of a four-game home stand, with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. CDT.

USA Today Coaches Sept. 14 Top 25

1. Ohio State
2. Penn State
3. Georgia
4. LSU
5. Oregon
6. Miami (FL)
7. Texas
8. Illinois
9. Florida State
10. Texas A&M
11. Ole Miss
12. Oklahoma
13. Iowa State
14. Alabama
15. Tennessee
16. Texas Tech
17. Indiana
18. Utah
19. Georgia Tech
20. Michigan
21. Notre Dame
22. Missouri
23. Vanderbilt
24. South Carolina
25. Auburn

Associated Press Sept. 2 Top 25

1. Ohio State
2. Penn State
3. LSU
4. Miami (FL)
5. Georgia
6. Oregon
7. Florida State
8. Texas
9. Illinois
10. Texas A&M
11. Oklahoma
12. Iowa State
13. Ole Miss
14. Alabama
15. Tennessee
16. Utah
17. Texas Tech
18. Georgia Tech
19. Indiana
20. Vanderbilt
21. Michigan
22. Auburn
23. Missouri
24. Notre Dame
25. USC

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