Where Football Polls and Metrics Have Nebraska Placed in Week 15

Nebraska was stopped cold on a snowy Black Friday by Iowa and the Huskers paid the price in the five polls and rankings we monitor.

The Huskers (7-5, 4-5 Big Ten) have completed their regular season and are awaiting a bowl assignment and opponent. Bowl matchups will be announced on Sunday, Dec. 7.

Nebraska’s best ranking is the Massey Ratings, a compilation of 40 ratings. The Huskers are 40th, a drop of five places from last week. Last week, the Huskers’ best ranking was in the Massey Ratings at 35. The Huskers’ worst ranking this week is 50th in The Athletic’s 136 rankings. Last week, the Huskers’ worst ranking was 42 in the CBS Sports poll.

Each week, we’ll take a look at where national polls and rankings place Nebraska’s football team. Nebraska ranks 45.4 in an average of five polls and rankings, a decrease from last week’s average of 38.6. The Huskers’ best average this season was 23.5 after they defeated host Maryland, 34-31, on Oct. 11.

The polls and rankings we monitor are:

* Associated Press
* The Athletic
* CBS Sports
* US LBM Coaches Poll
* ESPN’s Football Power Index
* ESPN’s SP+ rankings
* Massey Ratings
* College Football Playoff

College Football Playoff

Nebraska hasn’t received a vote in 2025.

The College Football Playoff Selection Committee ranked three Huskers opponents — USC at 16, Michigan at 19, and Iowa at 23 — among the top 25.

Six Big Ten teams received votes:

1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
5. Oregon
16. USC
19. Michigan
23. Iowa

The top four teams, who would get byes if the season were over, are: Ohio State, Indiana, Georgia and Texas Tech. The final rankings will be released on Sunday, Dec. 7.

Associated Press Top 25

Nebraska was not ranked for the seventh consecutive week in the gold-standard AP Top 25 Poll. Its last appearance was Oct. 12, when the Huskers were ranked 25th after defeating Maryland.

Since then, Nebraska has lost to Minnesota, USC, Penn State and Iowa, and defeated Northwestern and UCLA.

Iowa is 28th with 51 points, 22 points behind No. 25 Missouri.

The Athletic

Nebraska dropped 12 spots to 50 from 38. The Huskers’ last five weeks: 36, 37, 36, 38, 50. For four consecutive weeks in October, the Huskers ranked in the 20s — 22, 22, 29 and 28. In The Athletic’s preseason rankings, Nebraska was 39th.

CBS Sports 136 Rankings

Nebraska dropped five places, going to 47 from 42.

US LBM Coaches Poll

The Huskers was left out of the “others receiving votes” category for the second consecutive week.

ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI)

The Huskers dropped five spots, going to 44 from 39. Nebraska’s 10 previous rankings: 21, 21, 22, 23, 31, 34, 32, 31, 39, 44.

Nebraska’s regular-season win-loss projection — and other projections — is reality at 7.0 wins and 5.0 losses.

Here are FPI odds for Nebraska (with last week’s odds in parentheses):

* 100 percent chance of winning six games (same as last week; Nebraska is bowl eligible)
* 7.0 projected wins to 5.0 projected losses (7.4 wins to 4.6 losses last week)
* 0.0 percent chance of winning the Big Ten (same as last week)
* 0.0 percent chance of making the College Football Playoff (same as last week)
* 0.0 percent chance of making the national championship game (same as last week)
* 0.0 percent chance of winning the national championship (same as last week)

ESPN’s SP+ rankings

The Huskers dropped seven spots, going to 46 to 39.

As ESPN writer Bill Connelly says about his SP+ ratings: “It’s a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency … SP+ is intended to be predictive and forward-facing.

“It is simply a measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football. If you’re lucky or unimpressive in a win, your rating will probably fall. If you’re strong and unlucky in a loss, it will probably rise.”

Massey Ratings

Massey Ratings are a compilation of 40 different college football rankings. In the consensus of the 40 rankings, the Huskers ranked 40. Last week, they were ranked 35.

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