Where Does Nebraska Football Fit in Remade Big Ten Landscape After Indiana’s National Title?

Indiana’s football team is getting all of the love it deserves after its national-championship season. Significantly, it was the third consecutive national title for a Big Ten team.

If this is a shift in college football dynamics — away from the SEC — where does that leave Nebraska, which is coming off consecutive 7-6 seasons?

And while we’re sure Nebraska fans join in with the rest of the country — well, probably not Purdue fans — in congratulating Indiana, there’s another unpleasant way Husker fans should consider this most remarkable Hoosier story.

Well, Husker Nation, now there’s another football program entrenched ahead of Nebraska on the Big Ten food chain. Indiana? Could there be a more unexpected program to rule the Big Ten? In football?

And it’s an Indiana program that isn’t going away anytime soon. Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti had the second-best transfer portal according to The Athletic. Cignetti is reloading, not rebuilding. He’s constructing his legacy and maybe his statue. Indiana, the institution and the fans, are along for the most improbable ride of their charmed lives.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti smiles on the podium after the College Football Playoff title game at Miami Gardens, Fla. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Membership in the Big Ten now means dealing with a football food chain that continues to grow in depth and width.

Big Ten tiers

In Big Ten football’s new world order, Nebraska and other teams are assessing where they are and where they think they can go. And, some dare to think, can they become the next Indiana? Or something close?

Nebraska football should have been deep in reflection since the Las Vegas Bowl loss to Utah. The Huskers’ season went off the rails in November with a loss to USC, starting quarterback Dylan Raiola’s broken fibula, and blowout losses at Penn State and Iowa.

In pretty quick fashion, Nebraska’s promising season (the Huskers were 6-2 on Oct. 31) became a 7-6 season that left the fan base angry and disappointed.

In The Athletic’s Way Too Early Top 25 for next season, it is populated with Big Ten teams, seven of which are in the top 19 and three others who “just missed” in the rankings by Stewart Mandel. Nebraska is not listed anywhere.

1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
6. Indiana
12. USC
14. Michigan
18. Iowa
19. Washington

“Just missed”: Penn State, Illinois, Minnesota.

That’s 10 teams ranked ahead of Nebraska.

In a post-Indiana 2026, Big Ten tiers have new boundaries. And where do the Huskers fit in? Here’s what we think …

The Monsters

Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon. These were the teams to beat last season and will be again in 2026. Many folks thought Indiana was a one-season wonder after its stunning, 11-2 season in 2024. Oops.

Ohio State, the 2024 national champions, hasn't won the conference title since 2020. That sounds almost impossible but that five-year drought shows the conference’s depth and quality.

Oregon is here to stay despite being destroyed in the last two College Football Playoffs. Quarterback Dante Moore, a likely top-5 draft pick in this spring’s NFL Draft, decided to return to the Ducks for 2026. Raiola is expected to be his backup. Some national college expert types consider the Ducks the favorite to win the next national title.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore surprised some by returning for another season with the Ducks instead of going into NFL Draft. — Oregon quarterback Dante Moore surprised some by returning for another season with the Ducks instead of going into the NFL Draft. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Almost-there teams

Michigan, Penn State and USC. New coaching staffs at Michigan and Penn State automatically mean uncertainty. That might be good … or not. ESPN ranked USC’s 2026 recruiting class the best in the nation.

Michigan was the national champion not that long ago — in 2023. All three of these teams have compelling football tradition. Penn State, in August 2025, was considered a legitimate title contender, much more than Indiana was. USC needs to win a game it isn’t supposed to win against the monster top three teams. USC has the name brand but not the results lately.

Solid but not there yet

Iowa, Washington. Tons of potential here. Washington was the 2023 national runner-up. We suspect the Huskies will make more noise than Iowa over the next five years. Iowa is never far away, but never really close, either. Maybe 9-3, 8-4 is the ceiling for what the Hawkeyes are.

Welcome to the mushy middle

Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan State. One of these five schools will take that big step in the next 2-to-3 years if the talent and coaching match up with a favorable conference schedule.

Could that be Nebraska? Under Matt Rhule, Nebraska is 19-19 in three seasons. Against these four schools, Nebraska’s football-peer schools, the Huskers are a mediocre 3-5. Their record against these schools has to improve dramatically for a big step to occur. Nebraska's quarterback situation is uncertain. Will it be sophomore TJ Lateef, or UNLV transfer quarterback Anthony Colandrea?

Nebraska quarterback TJ Lateef will battle for the Huskers' starting job with UNLV transfer Anthony Colandrea. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

If you look at these five schools, which one has the most potential — not just for 2026, but for some level of sustained success? Nebraska has advantages over these schools — the heritage, the stadium, the name brand, the loyal and large fan base.

Five national championships don’t hurt, either. But those built-in benefits don’t make tackles, don’t complete clutch third-and-8 passes, don’t protect the quarterback (especially), and most importantly, don’t win modern football games.

Michigan State's new football coach Pat Fitzgerald greets the crowd at a Spartans' basketball game. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald is the new Michigan State coach. The Spartans, who also have some institutional benefits, won’t be 4-8 for long.

Minnesota, which blew up Nebraska’s 2025 season, was 7-0 at home and 0-5 on the road. The message? The Gophers have potential. The question: Can they reach it?

Wisconsin has Nebraska-kind of potential and we’ll see if Luke Fickell can restore the Badgers to the kind of glory they enjoyed under coaches Barry Alvarez, Bret Bielema and Paul Chryst.

Illinois is a program that often is hard to figure out. Solid, but sometimes a game away from special.

Long way to go

Maryland, Rutgers, UCLA, Northwestern, Purdue. In the Big Ten, we wish good luck to these teams, gritty at times, who seem to be overwhelmed by the power schools. Of the group, UCLA has a new coach in Bob Chesney who has a background of success.

Northwestern and UCLA have enjoyed some fleeting football glory. Is that possible in the new world order of college football?

These days, anything is.

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