Nebraska football continues to be on the outside looking in from some of this season’s college football elite.
The Huskers, despite a resounding 40-7 victory over UTEP on Saturday at Memorial Stadium, failed to land in the USA Today Coaches Top 25 or the Associated Press Top 25 poll. However, the Big Red did garner more votes in each poll, setting themselves on the cusp of entering ranks of the top teams in college football.
Nebraska received eight points in the coaches poll, a slight bump from the preseason poll in which the Huskers garnered two points. In the AP Top 25, Nebraska earned 27 points, up from 16 in the pre-season rankings. Colorado, the Huskers’ opponent on Saturday, received two points in the coaches poll and a single point from the AP.
Nebraska’s continued climb back into national prominence will face a bigger spotlight Saturday as the Huskers welcome Colorado to Memorial Stadium for an evening kickoff in Lincoln. The Big Red and Buffaloes will be featured on NBC prime time, giving both squads a chance to showcase their potential to a national audience.
Add in that the Huskers now wield a talented freshman signal caller in Dylan Raiola and showcased a potent offensive attack with a stifling defense, Nebraska could be a team on the rise moving forward in the early stretch of the season.
The Big Ten had significant movement after Week 1 from the preseason coaches rankings, as Ohio State remained at No. 2 while pre-season No. 3 Oregon dropped to No. 6 after a 24-14 victory over unranked Idaho. Penn State and Michigan swapped spots at No. 8 and No. 9, while USC made the biggest leap of the weekend climbing nine spots to No. 14.
The AP Poll kept the Buckeyes at No. 2, while Texas, Alabama, Notre Dame, and Ole Miss jumped Oregon as the Ducks landed at No. 7. Penn State (No. 8) and Michigan (No. 10) followed in the media poll.
Iowa bumped to No. 21, up four spots in both the coaches and AP polls after the Hawkeyes 40-0 victory while No. 25 Washington just entered the coaches poll. Wisconsin and Maryland also received 11 and nine votes, respectively, but remained unranked in the coaches poll.
The Big Ten Conference finished 17-1 after the opening weekend of college football, as Minnesota was the only conference team to suffer a Week One loss. The conference leads the nation with nine of the Top 25 teams compared to the SEC’s eight.
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