Nebraska
Minnesota, Nebraska rise in USA TODAY Sports Big Ten women’s basketball power rankings
Hear from Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen ahead of Hawkeyes at Illinois
Hear from Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen ahead of Hawkeyes at Illinois
Conference play is in full swing for Big Ten women’s basketball, with elite matchups on the docket all throughout each week.
Minnesota and Nebraska are on the rise, and the teams at the top haven’t missed a beat.
Here are the latest USA TODAY Sports Network Big Ten women’s basketball power rankings. Rankings are reflective of games through Jan. 8.
1. UCLA (16-0)
Previously: No. 1
What to know: The Bruins keep rolling right along, having snagged road wins at Indiana and Purdue. UCLA won’t face another nationally ranked team until Jan. 26.
2. USC (15-1)
Previously: No. 2
What to know: The Trojans completed a successful East Coast swing with road wins over Rutgers and Maryland. USC doesn’t have another ranked matchup as of now until Feb. 2.
3. Ohio State (15-0)
Previously: No. 4
What to know: Wednesday’s big road win at Michigan adds significant substance to Ohio State’s hot start. The Buckeyes don’t have another ranked matchup until Jan. 23.
4. Maryland (14-1)
Previously: No. 3
What to know: Wednesday’s home loss to USC was offset some by wins over Rutgers and Iowa since the last rankings. A daunting stretch is upcoming, though, with Maryland set to face three top-10 teams between Jan. 20 and Jan. 26.
5. Minnesota (16-1)
Previously: No. 8
What to know: There are still strength-of-schedule questions, especially considering Minnesota dropped its only ranked matchup so far. But the Golden Gophers continue ripping off wins to balance things out. A Tuesday trek to Maryland will put Minnesota under the microscope.
6. Michigan State (12-3)
Previously: No. 5
What to know: Wednesday’s road loss at Nebraska marked Michigan State’s third loss in its last four games. The Spartans will look to get back on track Sunday versus Washington.
7. Iowa (12-3)
Previously: No. 6
What to know: The home stumble against Maryland was a disappointing one, especially considering many foes don’t escape Carver-Hawkeye Arena with a victory. Looking at current rankings, the Hawkeyes won’t face another top-25 team until Feb. 2. Iowa needs to stack wins until then.
8. Nebraska (12-4)
Previously: No. 10
What to know: The Cornhuskers needed their 2-0 showing since the last poll, after dropping three straight ranked matchups in a 10-day span. Road trips to Rutgers and Iowa are upcoming.
9. Indiana (11-4)
Previously: No. 7
What to know: The Hoosiers gave it a whirl against No. 1 UCLA, but Indiana couldn’t pull out the home upset last weekend. After winning at Northwestern on Wednesday, the Hoosiers have a tricky trip to Iowa on Sunday.
10. Michigan (10-5)
Previously: No. 9
What to know: The Wolverines have suddenly dropped three straight after Wednesday’s upset bid at Ohio State fell short. Michigan has a favorable matchup Saturday at Purdue to get back on schedule.
11. Washington (12-4)
Previously: No. 11
What to know: The Huskies have won five straight but are currently set to face four ranked teams in their next six games.
12. Illinois (11-4)
Previously: No. 12
What to know: The Fighting Illini need some positive momentum after consecutive losses to Washington and Minnesota.
13. Oregon (11-4)
Previously: No. 13
What to know: An upcoming East Coast road swing offers Oregon a chance to climb in the coming days.
14. Wisconsin (10-6)
Previously: No. 14
What to know: Wisconsin is on a four-game losing streak after its West Coast trip to Oregon and Washington produced two losses. Things don’t get any easier with upcoming games against Maryland and Ohio State.
15. Penn State (9-6)
Previously: No. 15
What to know: Already on a four-game losing streak, the path gets even tougher for Penn State with road trips to USC and UCLA lurking.
16. Rutgers (8-8)
Previously: No. 16
What to know: The Scarlet Knights will host Nebraska on Sunday, trying to snap a four-game losing streak.
17. Purdue (7-8)
Previously: No. 17
What to know: Purdue enters Saturday’s game against Michigan on a three-game losing streak.
18. Northwestern (7-9)
Previously: No. 18
What to know: Northwestern will enter its West Coast swing to UCLA and USC on a four-game losing streak.
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
Nebraska
Big Ten coaches give strange quotes about Nebraska football
Athlon Sports has released its annual quotes from anonymous Big Ten coaches about the upcoming college football season. After reviewing the quotes, it’s clear that the Big Ten’s coaches don’t think very highly of the Huskers and even made several strange statements about the current state of the program.
One coach criticized Nebraska’s handling of the quarterback situation. Opening day starter Dylan Raiola transferred after two years with the program. He transferred to Oregon, where he could redshirt in 2026 now that the Ducks’ starting quarterback, Dante Moore, is returning to Eugene next season.
In 22 career games at Nebraska, he threw for 4,819 yards, 31 touchdowns and 17 interceptions while completing 69.1% of his passes. The 2025 season was cut short after suffering an injury in a loss against USC. In nine games this season, Raiola threw for 2,000 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions.
One coach believes Raiola’s departure could be the end for Nebraska football. The anonymous coach believes that Raiola was the glue that held Husker football together.
“They’re in a ton of denial with the quarterback situation. Dylan Raiola is as good as they get as a player and as a person; losing him, I thought he was their last hope. He was the pin that was holding that thing together.”
Nebraska will have a new opening day starter in 2026. The Huskers have a QB room that includes TJ Lateef, UNLV transfer Anthony Colandrea and Virginia transfer Daniel Kaelin.
Colandrea comes to Nebraska following a breakout junior year with the Rebels. The St. Petersburg, Florida, native finished the 2025 season throwing for 3,459 yards, 23 touchdowns, and nine interceptions with a 65.9 completion percentage.
The former Rebels’ play earned him the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year award. Before UNLV, Colandrea played two seasons at Virginia. In 19 games, he totaled 4,083 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns and 20 interceptions.
Another Big Ten Coach went after coach Matt Rhule, saying the Husker staff has too much turnover to maintain continuity.
“(Head coach) Matt Rhule has some great aspects. He can make you run through a wall, but there’s just always so much turnover with his staff. I know that it’s a tough environment for those coaches to be in. Rhule makes it like that on purpose because he doesn’t want you to get comfortable. I don’t want to say his model isn’t going to work, but I don’t know.”
Rhule is breaking in several new staff members in 2026. Geep Wade (offensive line), Rob Aurich (defensive coordinator) and Tyler Yelk (safeties coach) join the Huskers this season.
Nebraska opens the 2026 season on Saturday, Sept. 5, when the Ohio Bobcats visit Memorial Stadium. Kickoff time is set for 11 a.m. CT and the game can be seen on FS1.
Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinions.
Nebraska
Miss Nebraska festivities kick off with opening ceremonies
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KNOP) -The Miss Nebraska festivities kicked off tonight at Venue 304 with opening ceremonies.
The week-long event began with a ceremony to give the delegates a chance to introduce themselves to the community before official competition begins.
Each contestant was joined alongside a young girl, where they had the opportunity to be given a crown and sash by a Miss Nebraska member.
Officials say the event is about inspiring young women across the state.
“What it does is it helps them really build that stage presence confidence, and it really allows them to see kind of what we’re all about. We’re more than crowns; we’re more than sashes, but really about building confidence in young women. And they get to see that, and they leave with that confidence after their week-long journey with their candidate,” said Audri Pelton-Johnson, co-director of Miss Nebraska.
The first night of official competition begins Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
Click here to subscribe to our KNOP News 2 daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.
Copyright 2026 KNOP. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Three-Time Nebraska State Champion Eje Kim Sends Commitment to Yale for 2027
Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.
Three-time Nebraska High School State champion Eje Kim has announced his verbal commitment to the admissions process at Yale University as a part of the Bulldogs 2027 recruiting class.
Kim wrote the following about his commitment.
I’m extremely excited to announce my verbal commitment to the admissions process at Yale University! I want to thank my coaches, Pat, Miranda, Gaby, Randy, Katie, Uriah, and Emma for creating my love for swimming and pushing me to the limits. I also want to thank the Yale coaching staff, Jim, Kyle, Joey, and Dana for giving me this amazing opportunity. Thank you to my teammates, Mason, Mason, Ryan, Quinn, Bennett, and Nolan for making practice fun and becoming such good friends. Lastly, thank you to my parents. GO BULLDOGS! 🐶💙
Kim hails from Lincoln, Neb., where he represents Club Husker and Lincoln East High School. As a junior, Kim secured a pair of Nebraska State championship titles, winning both the 100 backstroke in 48.32 and the 100 fly in 47.95. As a sophomore, he claimed his first state championship title in the 100 back, clocking 49.73.
A few weeks after those championships, he raced at the Speedo Sectionals in Columbia, where he won the 50 fly in 21.63, and set a plethora of lifetime bests in the process, including the 50 free (21.22), 100 back (47.83), 200 back (1:44.17), and the 100 fly (47.81).
Best Times SCY:
- 100 Back: 47.83
- 200 Back: 1:44.17
- 100 Fly: 47.81
- 50 Free: 21.22
- 100 Free: 46.44
- 200 Free: 1:40.60
- 200 IM: 1:52.82
Kim is set to join a Yale men’s program that finished just under 200 points behind Ivy League Champions Princeton at the 2026 Men’s Ivy League Championships.
Based on Kim’s best times, he would have finished tied for 11th in the 200 back, 14th in the 100 back, and 20th in the 100 fly.
Kim’s immediate scoring ability is a major upside, and in the highly competitive Ivy League, Yale could use all of the points they can get to creep up to the top of the Ivy League.
With another year until he makes his collegiate debut, Kim still has plenty of time to build up his base times and make an even more significant impact on the Ivy League stage from year one.
Yale was productive in all of Kim’s events at the 2026 Ivy League Championships, including 51 points in the 100 back, 55 points in the 100 fly, and another 74 in the 200 back.
Kim joins Fin McLane, Charles Knoepp, Evan Pan-Wang, and Edward Zhang in Yale’s 2027 recruiting class.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
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