Where Football Polls and Metrics Have Nebraska Placed Going Into Week 0

Nebraska’s greatest strength might be Nebraska’s greatest weakness.

The Huskers’ football program has a remarkable heritage they should lean into — five national championships, multiple Heisman Trophy winners, one of the most respected, and feared, college football programs in America. That legacy is envied and should be a major selling point to potential recruits, transfer kids, donors and whoever else needs to hear it.

Think of all the football programs that *don’t* have that kind of history, that can’t make the same sales pitch. This strength should never be downplayed.

Which leads us into another football season. That same legacy remains. Is such a glorious background actually a burden? Is Nebraska living too much in the past? Are expectations unrealistic? Patience, generally, runs in short supply in America. It’s never easy, not when it’s *your* team out there. When a football team underperforms, that disappointment is hard to wash away. Excuses only go so far.

Nebraska is coming off consecutive 7-6 seasons that ended with bowl-game appearances. Was that enough? Was it close to being enough? For some: No, it wasn’t not. What happened to the nine-win seasons? Those New Year’s Day bowl games? What happened to those runs at a sixth national championship?

That’s the predicament coach Matt Rhule and the Huskers find themselves in. We’re sure Rhule isn’t living in the past, relying strictly on previous successes to fuel his current program. He can’t afford to live in the past. He has too much work to do. The pressure is enormous.

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule faces an eager fanbase looking for the kind of success the Huskers enjoyed in the past. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nebraska has an eager fanbase that demands greater success. Rhule, starting his fourth season in Lincoln, deals with the reality of rebuilding a program that suffered through six consecutive losing seasons before he arrived, and a losing season in his first year.

We contend that Indiana didn’t do anyone any favors. Wait, if Indiana — of all places — can rebuild from the ruins in Year One and win a national championship in Year Two, well …

We also think college football anthropologists, 100 years from now, will have no explanation for what Curt Cignetti accomplished at the basketball school in Bloomington.

Each Wednesday, we’ll take a look at where six national polls and rankings place Nebraska’s football team. The Huskers kick it off Saturday, Sept. 5 at Memorial Stadium against Ohio University, after a light national schedule in Week 0 this weekend.

Going into 2026, Nebraska is right where you might expect in polls and rankings — in the middle of the Big Ten pack. But as you’ll see below, the Huskers received what some might consider surprising odds from ESPN’s Football Power Index.

Nebraska starting quarterback Anthony Colandrea throws a pass in the Huskers' spring game. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The six polls and rankings we monitor are:

* Associated Press Top 25
* The Athletic 138
* CBS Sports
* USA Today Coaches Poll
* ESPN’s Football Power Index + SP+ rankings
* Massey Ratings

Going into the season, the Huskers rank 40.6 in an average of five polls and rankings (the Huskers are unranked in the AP Top 25). Nebraska’s best ranking is 30th by ESPN, and its worst ranking is 58th by The Athletic.

Associated Press Top 25

Nebraska not only isn’t ranked in the AP Preseason Top 25, the Huskers didn’t even receive a vote.

Twenty-four teams were among “others receiving votes” across America — but not the Huskers — including Liberty and Western Michigan, which received one vote each.

Eight Big Ten teams are ranked in the Top 25:

Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is the top player on the top-ranked team in the nation. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

1. Ohio State
2. Oregon
6. Indiana
14. USC
16. Michigan
17. Washington
18. Penn State
22. Iowa

Among “others receiving votes,” Illinois is 33, and Minnesota is 38. That’s 10 Big Ten teams all considered above Nebraska heading into the 2026 season. Nebraska plays Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, Washington, Iowa and Illinois in 2026.

Fair? Unfair? Reality? That’s for the readers to decide … and for the Huskers to know their assignment.

The Athletic 138

Nebraska is ranked 58th, by far its worst among the rankings we monitor. The Huskers finished 52nd last season.

CBS Sports

Nebraska checks in at 33, ahead of the following Big Ten teams:

40. Minnesota
42. UCLA
48. Northwestern
52. Maryland
60. Wisconsin
62. Rutgers
66. Michigan State
82. Purdue

Nebraska plays Maryland, Rutgers and Michigan State from this group in 2026.

Nebraska wide receiver Nyziah Hunter runs for a touchdown in win over Michigan State in 2025. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nine Big Ten teams are ranked above Nebraska:

1. Ohio State
2. Oregon
6. Indiana
14. USC
15. Michigan
18. Penn State
19. Washington
21. Iowa
29. Illinois

USA Today Coaches Poll

Nebraska is among “others receiving votes” at 42. The USA Today panel consists of 72 coaches who vote, including Rhule.

ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI)

Nebraska ranks 30th, but ESPN’s FPI gives the Huskers some odds for some surprising results. The odds aren’t much, but given where the Huskers stand in the college football world, maybe it's something to build off of.

Nebraska played in its second consecutive bowl game in December against Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

FPI gives the Huskers a 74.5 percent chance to win six games, which is bowl eligibility. The odds for the Huskers to make the College Football Playoff are 7.2 percent. Some might be surprised there is that much confidence in the Huskers to go that far.

Here are FPI’s odds for Nebraska’s season:

* Chance of winning six games, which would make the Huskers bowl eligible: 74.5 percent
* 6.7 projected wins to 5.3 projected losses
* 0.7 percent chance of winning the Big Ten
* 7.2 percent chance of making the College Football Playoff
* 0.5 percent chance of making the national championship game
* 0.2 percent chance of winning the national championship

Massey Ratings

Massey Ratings are a compilation of 40 different college football rankings. In the consensus of the 40 rankings, the Huskers ranked 40th.

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

Add us as a preferred source on Google