Huskers Land at No. 11 in Final College Huddle Big Ten Rankings

Nebraska holds steady after its Black Friday loss to Iowa.

Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola passes during the Huskers' Nov. 29 game at Iowa. / Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Nebraska football team finished the season ranked 11th in the final Big Ten football rankings put out by The College Huddle. They were in the same spot after beating Wisconsin, and didn’t drop after the loss to Iowa. The Huskers were #7 in the initial conference rankings and got as high as #4 after beating Colorado handily. 

Big Ten champion Oregon comes in 1st in the rankings, with Penn State at #2, Ohio State #3, Indiana at #4, and Illinois rounding out the Top 5. Last year’s college football national champion Michigan is ranked #6 after upsetting Ohio State on Thanksgiving weekend. Iowa actually fell one spot, down to #7, after beating Nebraska. As for the Huskers’ other former Big Ten West foes, Minnesota is #8, Wisconsin is #13, Northwestern is #17, and Purdue brings up the rear at #18. 

Illinois gives us perhaps the best look at what might have been for this year’s Nebraska team. The Huskers and Illini met in Lincoln on Sept. 20, both 3-0 and both in the top 25 nationally. Nebraska lost that game in overtime, 31-24, and ended up going 3-5 the rest of the season. As Husker fans know all too well, all but one of those losses was by one score as the Big Red once again struggled to get over the hump in close games. Illinois, on the other hand, finished the season 9-3 and will play South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl. 

Nebraska and Illinois – two evenly matched teams that played each other to a draw in regulation. One finished 9-3, one finished 6-6. That one example provides a good illustration of how close the margin for error is in major college football. The Huskers had a chance to win against Illinois, Ohio State, UCLA, USC and Iowa, and they weren’t able to close the deal against any of those teams. Imagine getting the win in even two of those games. An 8-4 regular season would likely be viewed as a smashing success in year 2 of head coach Matt Rhule’s rebuilding efforts in Lincoln. Getting over the hump and winning close games may well come to define Rhule’s entire tenure. 

Thankfully for Husker Nation, Nebraska will be playing in its first bowl game since 2016. The Huskers drew Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl, to be played at Yankee Stadium on Dec. 28 at 11am CT. Even with some disappointing losses this season, the Huskers will have the opportunity to end the year with a winning record and continue to build on the positive momentum Rhule has established at Nebraska. It’s already been a busy offseason of coaching changes and transfer portal departures, but such is life in the new world of college football. If the Huskers can secure the win against the Eagles, I believe most fans will view that as a success for this season, while still wanting much more in 2025. 

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:

Week 14 College Huddle rankings. / Eric Boggs

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