Where Football Polls and Metrics Have Nebraska Placed in Week 16

Nebraska, without stepping onto the football field, improved in two of the polls and rankings we monitor.

ESPN’s Football Power Index gives the Huskers a 19.4 percent chance of “winning out,” which at this point means the Las Vegas Bowl against Utah. The Utes are given an 80.7 percent chance of winning out. (That leaves an extra .1 percent somewhere out there.)

The Huskers are 7-5, 4-5 Big Ten, a tie for 10th in the conference with Northwestern. Utah is 10-2, 7-2 in the Big 12. The Utes finished third in the Big 12.

Nebraska’s best ranking is the Massey Ratings, a compilation of 40 ratings. The Huskers are 39th, a improvement of one place from last week. Last week, the Huskers’ best ranking was in the Massey Ratings at 40. The Huskers’ worst ranking this week is 51st in The Athletic’s 136 rankings. Last week, the Huskers’ worst ranking was 50th in The Athletic.

Each week, we’ll take a look at where national polls and rankings place Nebraska’s football team. Nebraska ranks 44.6 in an average of five polls and rankings, an improvement from last week’s average of 45.4. 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 never received a vote from the CFP Selection Committee. The first of the weekly rankings were released Nov. 4.

No Nebraska opponents made the College Football Playoff. The Selection Committee ranked three Huskers opponents — USC at 16, Michigan at 18, and Iowa at 23 — among the top 25.

Six Big Ten teams received votes:

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

The top four teams, who received byes, are Indiana, Ohio State, Georgia and Texas Tech.

The first-round matchups:

* James Madison (12) at Oregon (5)
* Alabama (9) at Oklahoma (8)
* Tulane (11) at Ole Miss (6)
* Miami (10) at Texas A&M (7)

Utah finished 15th in the rankings.

Associated Press Top 25

Nebraska was not ranked for the eighth 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.

The Athletic

Nebraska dropped one spot to 51 from 50. The Huskers’ last six weeks: 36, 37, 36, 38, 50, 51. 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 improved by four places going to 43 from 47.

US LBM Coaches Poll

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

ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI)

The Huskers remained at 44. Nebraska’s 11 previous rankings: 21, 21, 22, 23, 31, 34, 32, 31, 39, 44 and 44.

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

* 100 percent chance of winning six games (same as last week)
* 7.2 projected wins to 5.8 projected losses (7.0 wins to 5.0 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 remained at 46.

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 39. Last week, they were ranked 40.

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