Nebraska wrestling opens its season ranked No. 3 in the country. The Huskers were third in the NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll released Oct. 28, with 362 points (huskers.com).
Only Penn State (400 points, all 16 first-place votes) and Oklahoma State (382) are ahead of them. Nebraska finished third at the NCAA Championships last season and closed 2025-26 at No. 5 in the final NWCA poll, per the same release.
The top 10
| Rank | Team | Points | 2025-26 NCAA finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Penn State | 400 | 1 |
| 2 | Oklahoma State | 382 | 2 |
| 3 | Nebraska | 362 | 3 |
| 4 | Iowa | 344 | 4 |
| 5 | Virginia Tech | 338 | 11 |
| 6 | Ohio State | 322 | 5 |
| 7 | Stanford | 312 | 6 |
| 8 | Minnesota | 265 | 9 |
| 9 | Iowa State | 249 | 8 |
| 10 | Missouri | 248 | 14 |
Four Big Ten programs are in the top 10 and seven are in the top 25.
The ranked part of the schedule
Nebraska will see nine top-25 teams this season, starting right away. The home opener against Wyoming on Sunday, Nov. 8, at the Devaney Center is a ranked dual: the Cowboys are No. 18. Five days later the Huskers go to Stillwater to face No. 2 Oklahoma State on Nov. 13.
Ranked opponents coming to Lincoln, per the release:
- No. 20 Rutgers, Jan. 15
- No. 19 Illinois, Jan. 24
- No. 8 Minnesota, Feb. 6
- No. 13 Arizona State, Feb. 21
Road duals at Ohio State (Jan. 31) and Iowa (Feb. 12) bring two more top-six teams. The full dual schedule is in our season-opener preview.
What it means
Preseason polls are guesses, but this one lines up with what Nebraska did in March. The early weeks will test it fast: a ranked Wyoming team at home, then the No. 2 team in the country on the road a few days later.
Featured image: Photo: Chris Hunkeler. CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
