What Sports Illustrated's Preseason Top 25 Means for Nebraska

Nebraska will face five of SI's top eight Big Ten teams during the 2026 regular season.

Matt Rhule huddles with the offense during the 2026 Red-White Spring Game. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nebraska won't have to look far to find some of college football's best programs in 2026.

According to Sports Illustrated's preseason rankings, the Cornhuskers are set to face five of the nation's top 25 teams.

With a tough road ahead for Matt Rhule's program this fall, here's what the rankings mean for the Big Red.

After debate, disagreement, analysis and eventually a level of consensus among our staff, here is the @SInow preseason college football Top 25. https://t.co/CLXfK86SJh

— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) August 12, 2026

Ranked Opponents the Huskers Will Face

It's clear that Nebraska won't have much room for error this fall. The Huskers are set to take on five of the nation's top 25 teams, including three in the top five.

Oregon (No. 2), Indiana (No. 4) and Ohio State (No. 5) are all coming off College Football Playoff berths from a season ago, while Washington (No. 19) and Iowa (No. 25) are fresh off 9-4 campaigns in 2025.

The Huskers haven't reached nine wins in a season since 2016. The five programs Nebraska will play that are in SI's preseason Top 25 went a combined 59-12 last fall. The Big Red, meanwhile, have won just 51 games over the last 10 years.

How It Stacks Up With ESPN's FPI

Plenty of other media outlets have done preseason rankings of their own. Each one lays out a challenging path for the Huskers.

For example, in ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) rankings, the Huskers will be expected to take on four of the nation's top 25 teams, plus two more in the top 40.

ESPN FPI Rankings for Nebraska's Opponents:

No. 1 Ohio State
No. 4 Oregon

No. 6 Indiana
No. 25 Iowa
No. 26 Washington

No. 39 Illinois

No. 61 Maryland

No. 65 Michigan State
No. 67 Rutgers

No. 97 Ohio

No. 123 Bowling Green

FCS North Dakota

Matt Rhule addresses the team during a 2025 spring practice. | Nebraska Athletics

SI's Top 25

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

Nebraska's 2026 opponents are in BOLD

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen before the 2025 Cincinnati game | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

What It Means for Nebraska

The Huskers haven't beaten a ranked opponent since Oregon in 2016. This fall, nearly half of their regular-season games will provide an opportunity end that drought. There's plenty of good and bad to that statement, but one thing is clear: there's no running from it.

But don't be fooled, Matt Rhule isn't planning on doing that. Instead, he suggested he recruited the players Nebraska added via the transfer portal with the schedule in mind. He likely used it as a selling point for the players he retained as well.

So, NU heads into 2026 looking to prove its worth. This is the most difficult schedule, on paper, the Huskers have faced under Rhule. But if this is truly his best team yet, the Huskers couldn't ask for a better opportunity to prove it this fall.

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