Huskers Fall to Lowest Spot Yet in College Huddle Rankings

Nebraska down four spots after disappointing loss to UCLA.

Nov 2, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers wide receiver Isaiah Neyor runs after a catch against UCLA Bruins defensive back Bryan Addison during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The Nebraska football team is currently ranked #12–their worst showing yet–in the latest Big Ten football rankings put out by The College Huddle. That’s down four spots after the Huskers’ disappointing loss to UCLA last weekend. Nebraska was #7 in the initial conference rankings, and got as high as #4 after beating Colorado handily early in the season. USC – the Big Red’s next opponent – comes in at #11 in this week’s rankings. 

Nebraska’s 27-20 loss to UCLA was massively disappointing. The Huskers were favored by around seven points going into the game, and they were playing at home with bowl eligibility on the line. What’s more, UCLA came in at 2-5, and has struggled all season under first-year head coach DeShaun Foster. There has been quite a bit of consternation in the fan base and on social media since Saturday. 

Instead of celebrating their first bowl berth since 2016, Nebraska is spending the bye week bringing in outside consultants to evaluate their entire approach on offense and defense. It was announced Tuesday that two longtime friends of Rhule’s would be coming to Lincoln to give an outside perspective on how Nebraska can improve. Dana Holgorsen, a well known offensive mind who has been an offensive coordinator and head coach at multiple Power 5 schools, is analyzing the offense. Phil Snow, who previously served as Rhule’s defensive coordinator at multiple stops, is analyzing the defense. 

Nebraska has been maddeningly inconsistent this season. The Huskers showed enough in losses to Ohio State and Illinois to make it seem like they could play with just about any team in the country. Conversely, their flat performances in losses to Indiana and UCLA have left fans wondering if the program is further away from relevance than ever. With the Big Red coming into the game at 5-3, UCLA was seemingly Nebraska’s best remaining opportunity to secure the critical sixth win needed for bowl eligibility. The Huskers travel to USC on November 16; host Wisconsin on November 23; and play Iowa in Iowa City the day after Thanksgiving. 

Oregon comes in first in the College Huddle rankings, with Indiana at #2, Ohio State #3, Penn State #4, and Iowa rounding out the top five. Interestingly, last year’s college football national champion Michigan is sitting at ninth in the conference rankings. Wisconsin is trending down, coming in at #10 in the poll after getting thumped 42-10 by Iowa over the weekend. Former Big Ten West foe Minnesota has surged all the way up to #7 in the poll, after beating a top 25 Illinois team last week for the Gophers' fourth consecutive win. As for other former divisional opponents, Illinois is at #6, Northwestern #17, and Purdue bringing up the rear at #18. 

The College Huddle is the largest fan-led online college sports podcast community, made up of one podcast from each fan base represented. The Common Fan Podcast is the Nebraska representative for The College Huddle. 

Full conference rankings are as follows:

College Huddle Rankings / Eric Boggs

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