Huskers Up Three Spots in Latest Big Ten Rankings from College Huddle

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 

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’

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

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