Huskers Up Four Spots in Latest Conference Rankings from The College Huddle

Nebraska trending in the right direction after back-to-back wins.

Oct 5, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers former defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh (93) runs onto the field with the team before a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The Nebraska football team is currently ranked #6 in the latest Big Ten football rankings put out by The College Huddle. That’s up four spots from the latest rankings, when the Huskers fell to #10 after the loss to Illinois, and stayed in the same spot even after beating Purdue. Nebraska was #7 in the initial conference rankings, and got as high as #4 after beating Colorado handily. Indiana – the Big Red’s next opponent after the bye week – comes in at #4 in this week’s rankings. 

The College Huddle rankings illustrate the challenge Nebraska faces in re-establishing themselves as a consistent winner. For years–arguably decades–after the Huskers’ last national championship in 1997, the team would receive the benefit of the doubt in rankings similar to these. Of course, the performance on the field–and corresponding record–was also quite a bit better than what we’ve seen in the last several years. Given where the program has been, it will take sustained, consistent winning to re-establish its reputation as a college football powerhouse, and to find themselves regularly considered in the top tier of the Big Ten rankings and in the top 25 nationally. 

Thankfully for the Huskers, they will have multiple chances to prove themselves for the remainder of the season. Indiana is arguably the surprise team of the Big Ten this season, off to its first 6-0 start since 1967 and currently in the top 20 of both the AP and coaches polls. Win that one (after the bye week), and the Big Red will likely be back in the top 4 of the Big Ten, and will certainly be in everyone’s Top 25. The Huskers follow that one up the very next week by traveling to Columbus to play Ohio State, and they still have USC, Wisconsin, and Iowa on the schedule as well. 

Even though the last two games have been wins, the Purdue game was marked by a sluggish 1st half (before the Huskers took control and won handily), and the Rutgers game was an old fashioned Big Ten street fight which the Huskers held on to win in the end. Many in the fan base and on social media are wondering just how good this Nebraska team is. There are reasons to hope: according to CFB stats, the Huskers are #14 in the country in total defense, #7 in scoring defense, #9 in rushing defense, tied for 5th in sacks, and tied for 8th in tackles for loss. Additionally, the Big Red’s offense is markedly improved over last year, under the direction of true freshman standout Dylan Raiola. Moving forward, it will be key for the defense to continue to perform at a high level, and for the offense to improve while finding more consistency. 

Ohio State comes in 1st in the College Huddle rankings, with Oregon at #2, Penn State #3, Indiana at #4, and Illinois rounding out the Top 5. Interestingly, last year’s college football national champion Michigan is all the way down to 9th in the conference rankings, after losing to Washington over the weekend. Other than Illinois, all other former Big Ten West foes come in at the bottom half of the rankings, with Iowa at #11, Minnesota #12, Wisconsin #13, Northwestern #16, 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 Week 6 / Eric Boggs

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