The Nebraska football team is all the way up to 4th in the latest Big Ten football rankings put out by The College Huddle. That’s up three spots after week one, when the Huskers came in at 7th in the initial conference rankings.
The College Huddle rankings are in line with a growing sentiment among fans, local media, and even some national national media personalities that Nebraska is a program on the rise. The Huskers have generated a significant amount of buzz after dismantling Colorado 28-10 in front of a national TV audience on Saturday night in Lincoln. The Big Red dominated that game from start to finish, running out to a 28-0 lead at halftime, and never letting the Buffs get back in the game during the 2nd half.
In addition to the decisive win over Colorado, the belief in the Nebraska program seems to stem from a wide range of factors, starting with the stellar defense on display from the Blackshirts through two games. According to CFB stats, the Huskers are #24 in the country in total defense, #5 in the country in rushing defense, tied for 18th in scoring defense, tied for 6th in sacks, and tied for 8th in tackles for loss.
True freshman starting quarterback Dylan Raiola is also turning heads, recently being listed as #22 in Bleacher Report’s Top 25 College Football quarterback rankings. Raiola outshined standout Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders on Saturday in leading Nebraska to victory. In two games as Nebraska’s starter, he has thrown for 423 yards and 3 touchdowns, completing nearly 74% of his passes. Importantly, he has yet to throw an interception, a marked improvement from recent Nebraska quarterbacks.
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Finally, Matt Rhule’s record as a program builder and a turnaround artist has college football watchers from across the country believing Nebraska is a program on the rise. Rhule has certainly exuded quite a bit of confidence so far this season, and he seems to have his culture firmly in place.
Ohio State comes in 1st in the College Huddle rankings, with USC at #2, Penn State #3, the Huskers at #4, and Oregon rounding out the Top 5. Interestingly, last year’s college football national champion Michigan is all the way down to 8th in the conference rankings, after getting beat handily by Texas over the weekend. Of note, Nebraska’s first conference opponent, Illinois, is at #7 after an impressive win over Kansas. All other former Big Ten West foes come in at the bottom half of the rankings, with Iowa at #10, Wisconsin #12, Minnesota #14, Purdue #15, and Northwestern 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:
Ohio State
USC
Penn State
Nebraska
Oregon
Rutgers
Illinois
Michigan
Washington
Iowa
Indiana
Wisconsin
Michigan State
Minnesota
Purdue
Maryland
UCLA
Northwestern
MORE: SMQ Predicts Utter Domination of Northern Iowa by Nebraska, 46-10.
MORE: Kansas City Chief Patrick Mahomes Addresses Husker Dylan Raiola Comparisons: ‘A Great Football Player’
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MORE: Nebraska Football’s Dylan Raiola Listed in Top 25 College Football Quarterback Rankings
MORE: Has Nebraska Football’s Win Over Colorado Caused Overreactions?
MORE: Colorado’s Travis Hunter Praises Nebraska’s Fans After Playing in Memorial Stadium
Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, following HuskerMax on X, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
The third matchup this weekend between No. 9 Nebraska and No. 21 Oklahoma State was canceled Sunday due to expected bad weather in the Stillwater, Okla., area. The Cowgirls won the first matchup Thursday, 2-1 in 11 innings, while the Cornhuskers won Saturday, 4-3. The game will not be made up.
Nebraska now prepares for its home opener Thursday at Bowlin Stadium as the Huskers take on South Dakota State in a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
MINDEN, Neb. (KSNB) – The Nebraska State Patrol, with assistance from the Kearney County Sheriff’s Office and Kearney County Attorney’s Office, is investigating an attempted murder/suicide in rural Kearney County.
The Kearney County Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene Saturday afternoon.
According to NSP, three children and a woman had gunshot wounds, with the woman found dead.
The three children were transported by ambulance to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney and treated for their injuries. Two of the children have since been transported to Children’s Hospital in Omaha.
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NSP said all three children are expected to survive. The children are all under the age of 12.
This investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement said there is no ongoing threat to the public.
According to NSP, names are not being released at this time to protect the identities of the victims.
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Ten UNK students will perform with other outstanding instrumentalists from across the state as part of the 2026 Nebraska Intercollegiate Band. Front row, from left: Olivia Kohmetscher, Kaia Johnson, Douglas Davidchik, Micah Feddersen and Avery Reitz. Back row, from left: Evan Porter, Ike Smith, Kaitlyn Obrecht, Cameron Grafel and Chloe Harms. (Courtesy UNK, Click to enlarge)
KEARNEY, Neb – Ten students will represent the University of Nebraska at Kearney as members of the 2026 Nebraska Intercollegiate Band.
They’ll perform 11:30 a.m. March 7 in Kimball Recital Hall on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus as part of the 65th annual Nebraska State Bandmasters Association convention. The concert is free and open to the public.
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The Nebraska Intercollegiate Band includes outstanding instrumentalists from colleges and universities across the state. Students selected for the honor spend time rehearsing together in Lincoln before performing for the public. This year’s ensemble is led by guest conductor Donald McKinney, director of bands at Indiana University.
“Rehearsing and performing in the Nebraska Intercollegiate Band will be an excellent opportunity for experiential learning,” said professor Duane Bierman, director of bands at UNK. “Not only will these students get a great musical experience but they will also get a chance to expand their network and grow their interpersonal skills.”
Students representing UNK include: Broken Bow – Cameron Grafel, horn Columbus – Douglas Davidchik, clarinet Elm Creek – Chloe Harms, euphonium Grand Island – Olivia Kohmetscher, tenor saxophone Kearney – Ike Smith, trumpet Kearney – Micah Feddersen, trumpet Kearney – Avery Reitz, string bass and tuba La Vista – Kaitlyn Obrecht, piano Minden – Evan Porter, percussion Ravenna – Kaia Johnson, flute
