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. 

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:

1. Ohio State
2. USC
3. Penn State
4. Nebraska
5. Oregon
6. Rutgers
7. Illinois
8. Michigan
9. Washington
10. Iowa
11. Indiana
12. Wisconsin
13. Michigan State
14. Minnesota
15. Purdue
16. Maryland
17. UCLA
18. Northwestern 

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At a hearing today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) pushed for her Swanson and Hugh Butler Reservoirs Conveyances Act, which would give Nebraskans more control over their communities by transferring reservoir land from the federal government to local counties. The hearing was held by the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s Water and Power Subcommittee. Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on a companion bill introduced by U.S. Representative Adrian Smith (NE-03).

Senator Fischer and Representative Smith introduced this legislation at the request of Swanson and Red Willow residents and Hitchcock and Frontier County commissioners. If passed, the legislation will transfer the Bureau of Reclamation (BoR) Swanson Reservoir land to Hitchcock County and the BoR Red Willow Reservoir land to Frontier County. The Swanson and Hugh Butler Reservoir Conveyances Act is cosponsored by Senator Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.).

“Swanson and Red Willow residents want to enjoy local reservoirs and preserve local small businesses. But to keep doing that, they need control over their communities and the land around them. My bill will do that by transferring land from the federal government to Hitchcock and Frontier Counties. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate and the House to pass this legislation,” said Senator Fischer.

“This bill is very important to residents of the Swanson and Red Willow reservoirs. Our delegation has acted quickly to find a solution that worked for the community, protected homes, and supported local businesses. This week’s hearings bring us one step closer to passage of this legislation in both the House and Senate,” said Senator Ricketts.

“This week’s hearings are a significant step forward after years of hard work by community members, Hitchcock and Frontier County leaders, and our delegation to find a solution for the reservoir communities. I am pleased to see this progress made to ensure the communities are not harmed by arbitrary bureaucratic decisions and local economies can thrive. I appreciate Sen. Fischer’s work to advance companion legislation in the Senate, and I will continue fighting for appropriate local control as the legislative process continues,” said Rep. Smith.

Click here to download audio

Click here to download video

Following is a transcript of Senator Fischer’s remarks as prepared for delivery:

Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Risch:

Thank you for holding this hearing and including my legislation, S. 4347, the Swanson and Hugh Butler Reservoirs Land Conveyances Act on the agenda.

I’ve working alongside Hitchcock and Frontier County Commissioners, the concessionaires, impacted community members, and the Bureau of Reclamation on this legislation to allow 77.2 acres of land around the Swanson and Hugh Butler Reservoirs to be conveyed at fair market value to the counties.

Transferring this land to the local counties will chart a better path for the local community and the federal government.

This will allow community members to continue to enjoy the reservoirs and preserve numerous small businesses that operate in the area.

I’ve heard from over 1,000 constituents since I’ve introduced the legislation along with receiving numerous letters of support from local communities and businesses.

Action on this legislation is urgent, as the Bureau of Reclamation’s extended concession contracts expire in February of 2025 and some community members face being displaced due to the Bureau of Reclamation’s plan to end private exclusive use at the reservoirs.

Hitchcock and Frontier Counties are committed to ensuring continued public access to the reservoirs and providing effective management that is responsive to the local communities.

A number of the county commissioners, community members, and concessionaires traveled from Nebraska to be here today, a testament to the importance of getting this legislation signed into law and their commitment to providing effective management for the land.

I am also glad the entire Nebraska congressional delegation as well as members of Congress from Kansas, have joined me on this legislation and that just yesterday the House Natural Resources Committee also held a hearing on companion legislation.

I strongly support the full committee taking up and passing S. 4347, the Swanson and Hugh Butler Reservoir Conveyances Act, swiftly, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this legislation signed into law this year.

Travis Hunter and Colorado did not have an easy time in Lincoln last Saturday night.

The Huskers dominated the Buffaloes 28-10, with the score looking closer than the game actually was. Nebraska jumped all over Colorado and it was clear from the start of the game that it would be very difficult for the Buffaloes to be competitive in an environment like Memorial Stadium.

A couple of days after the game, Hunter said on “The Travis Hunter Show” that he came away from the game impressed with the atmosphere created by Nebraska’s fanbase. It is easy to tell from his comments, that the crowd had an affect on the outcome of the game.

The clip starts out with Hunter giving credit to Nebraska for the way it started the game. The Huskers did not waste any time in jumping out to a quick lead, one they would hold on to for the rest of the game.

“They came out fast,” Hunter said. “They hit us in the mouth and we had no response. That is pretty much what happened. Nebraska is a good team, they beat us fair and square. We just got to come out and do better. We have to play Colorado football and that is not Colorado football.”

Hunter then shifted his focus onto the game day atmosphere at Nebraska. He described how their fans never let his teammates off the hook with their constant noise. He was also complimentary of some of the entertainment aspects of Memorial Stadium’s presentation.

It sounds like one of the best college football players in the country was impressed by Nebraska’s home game intimidation factor.

“That environment was top 10,” Hunter said. “That light show in the fourth quarter, that was cool too. I ain’t even gonna lie that was a good little show, boy. Their fans were loud on third down, when you break the huddle and when you get in the huddle. I can’t even think to myself how loud it was. Yeah, shoutout to Nebraska.”

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