It seemed obvious that Nebraska would drop in the seven polls and rankings we monitor after its second consecutive rough loss, this time to Oregon, 20-17, on Saturday night.
That is almost what happened. The Huskers dropped in every metric but one — the Sagarin Ratings. The Huskers (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) moved up one spot in the Sagarin Ratings. Maybe the game — which ended well after 2 a.m. ET — was too late for the Sagarin Ratings staff.
We’ve published the Sagarin Ratings for the last four weeks. It is bullish on Nebraska. The Huskers’ worst ranking in those four weeks was a 20th, which was after the loss to Indiana. Nebraska’s Sagarin Ratings since we’ve monitored them: 16, 18, 20 and this week’s 19.
Anyway, Nebraska dipped in all of the ESPN Football Power Index odds. Its biggest drop was in making the 12-team College Football Playoff. The odds dropped from 25.7 percent last week to 8.5 percent currently.
Nebraska is on a bye week. The Huskers return to action Oct. 31 vs. Washington at Memorial Stadium.
Each Wednesday, we’ll take a look at where seven national polls and rankings place Nebraska.
The seven polls and rankings we monitor are:
* Associated Press Top 25
* The Athletic 138
* CBS Sports 138
* USA Today Coaches Poll
* ESPN’s Football Power Index
* Massey Ratings
* Sagarin Ratings
The Huskers rank 25.5 this week in an average of the polls and rankings we monitor (Nebraska received no votes in the AP Top 25). Last week, it was 24.2.
Nebraska’s best ranking is 15 by ESPN’s Football Power Index (last week it was 12), and its worst ranking remains by The Athletic at 34 (last week it was 33).
Associated Press Top 25
After four weeks of “others receiving votes,” Nebraska received zero votes this week. Nebraska was 29th last week. Thirty-two teams received votes.
Six Big Ten teams are ranked in the Top 25, including three teams in the top 9. Ohio State is the highest-ranked conference team at 3, improving by one spot from last week after its 19-15 win at Indiana on Saturday. But the Buckeyes are going to be without quarterback Julian Sayin for the rest of the season, coach Ryan Day said Tuesday. On Saturday, when Sayin was injured against Indiana, OSU announced that he would miss “several weeks.”
Nebraska plays Ohio State on Nov. 21 at Memorial Stadium.
3. Ohio State
6. Indiana
9. UCLA
15. Iowa
16. USC
24. Northwestern
Oregon is the only Big Ten team among “others receiving votes.” The Ducks are 27, same as last week after their comeback win over Nebraska.
The Athletic 138
Nebraska dropped one spot to 34. The Athletic has ranked the Huskers worse than any other ranking each week during the season. Four weeks ago, Nebraska ranked 58. The Huskers finished 52 last season.
Ohio State is ranked No. 1, with Indiana ninth and UCLA 10th.
CBS Sports 138
Nebraska dropped four places to 29 but remained ahead of two-loss Oregon. Again, maybe the late start and finish affected voters. The Huskers are ranked ahead of the following 11 Big Ten teams:
31. Oregon
32. Wisconsin
37. Michigan
42. Minnesota
58. Penn State
60. Washington
63. Illinois
82. Purdue
99. Michigan State
104. Rutgers
107. Maryland
Nebraska still is yet to play Washington, Illinois and Rutgers from this group in 2026.
Six Big Ten teams are ranked above Nebraska:
2. Ohio State
6. Indiana
7. UCLA
14. Iowa
21. USC
19. Northwestern
Nebraska is yet to play Ohio State and Iowa from this group.
USA Today Coaches Poll
Nebraska is among “others receiving votes” at 31, dropping three spots from last week. Nebraska has 19 points, down from 74 points last week. The 25th-ranked team, Oregon, has 180 points. The USA Today panel consists of 72 coaches who vote, including Matt Rhule.
ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI)
Nebraska moved to 15 from 12, still the Huskers’ best ranking among the seven we monitor.
Nebraska’s season FPI odds decreased, slightly, in five of the six projections. The sixth was the big drop in odds for making the CFP.
Here are FPI’s odds and projections for Nebraska’s season:
* Chance of winning six games, which would make the Huskers bowl eligible: 99.8 percent (last week: 99.9)
* 8.4 projected wins and 3.6 projected losses (last week: 8.8 projected wins and 3.3 projected losses)
* 0.3 percent chance of winning the Big Ten (last week: 1.6 percent chance)
* 8.5 percent chance of making the College Football Playoff (last week: 25.7 percent chance)
* 0.7 percent chance of making the national championship game (last week: 1.5 percent chance)
* 0.3 percent chance of winning the national championship (last week: 0.5)
Massey Ratings
Massey Ratings are a compilation of 40 different rankings. In the consensus of the 40 rankings, the Huskers dropped to 24 from 23. Ohio State is No. 1, followed by Georgia, Indiana, Miami and Utah.
Sagarin Ratings
As mentioned, Nebraska actually improved one spot from 20 to 19. Sagarin has Ohio State at No. 1.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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