Nebraska Football Snubbed From Top 25 Consideration in Coaches, AP Polls

Despite a dominant 68-0 home victory on Saturday, Nebraska football failed to sneak into either of the top 25 polls for the second consecutive week.

Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson runs for 36 yards on this play against Akron. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nebraska football's most dominant performance in nearly a decade was not enough to move the national needle for top 25 consideration.

Despite a 68-0 home victory over Akron on Saturday night, the Huskers (2-0, 0-0 B1G) failed to garner a top 25 nod in both the USA Today Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Top 25. It is the third straight week that the Huskers have garnered votes in each poll, as Nebraska has received votes since the preseason edition of the rankings. 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.

Nebraska pushed to the 35th-highest rated team in this week's coaches poll and Associated Press polls, moving up three spots from last week's coaches poll rankings while remaining in the same spot as the previous AP poll.

Nebraska running back Mekhi Nelson goes for 41 yards on a pass from quarterback TJ Lateef against Akron. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The Huskers remained behind Arizona State, BYU, South Florida, Missouri, Louisville, USC, SMU, Florida, Auburn, Tulane, TCU, and Georgia Tech in the receiving votes of each poll. The Huskers received more votes than Navy, Washington, Mississippi State, Memphis, Baylor, Vanderbilt, Kansas, UNLV, Pittsburgh, North Carolina State, Duke, Kansas State, James Madison, and Liberty in both polls.

Eight Big Ten Conference teams received votes in each poll, while Washington only received votes in the coaches poll. The Associated Press did not award votes to the Huskies. Each poll ranked five Big Ten teams, including No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Penn State, No. 5/4 Oregon, No. 9 Illinois, No. 19/22 Illinois, and No. 22/23 Michigan. USC was the 28th and 29th highest rated team by the coaches and AP, respectively. Iowa failed to garner any votes after receiving preseason and week one recognition following the Hawkeyes' 16-13 road loss to rival Iowa State.

The Southeastern Conference had nine programs ranked by the coaches, while 11 teams earned top 25 nods by the Associated Press. No. 3/6 Georgia and No. 3/4 LSU led the way for the SEC, followed by No. 7 Texas, No. 10/11 South Carolina, No. 13/17 Ole Miss, No. 15 Tennessee, No. 16/13 Oklahoma, No. 17/16 Texas A&M, No. 18/19 Alabama, RV/No. 24 Auburn, and RV/No. 25 Missouri.

The Atlantic Coast Conference once again had one of the highest risers in both rankings despite the ACC's highest-rated preseason team, No. 11/No. 12 Clemson, dropping spots in each poll. No. 12/10 Florida State once again jumped seven and four spots, respectively, in each poll. SMU dropped out of the top 25 after falling in an overtime contest with Baylor.

Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) looks for an open receiver during the second quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Big 12 Conference had its preseason top 10 team nearly fall out of each poll, as No. 24/RV Arizona State was upset on the road by RV Mississippi State on Saturday night. The Big 12's newest leader, No. 14 Iowa State, rose four spots in the coaches and two positions in the AP rankings. No. 20/21 Texas Tech, No. 21/20 Utah, and No. 25/RV BYU rounded out the conference's rankings.

No. 8 Notre Dame continues its stay in the top ten after remaining idle in week two. The highest-rated Group of Five school is No. 23/18 South Florida, following the Bulls' upset of previously-rated Florida.

Nebraska football's schedule remains with two opponents inside the top 25 polls and includes one other conference foe that is receiving votes. The Huskers will have their first top 25 matchup at home against Michigan on Sept. 20, then await RV USC on Nov. 1. Nebraska will travel to No. 2 Penn State on Nov. 22.

Nebraska defensive lineman Gabe Moore combines with Javin Wright to bring down Akron's Sean Patrick. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The Huskers aim to continue their winning ways, hosting Houston Christian for the second game in Nebraska's four-game home stand in Lincoln on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CDT.

USA Today Coaches Sept. 2 Top 25

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

Associated Press Sept. 2 Top 25

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

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