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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/usffan on 2025-07-25 09:27:34+00:00.
The cumulative link to the preseason rankings can be found here.
Nebraska (high = 18, low = 35) in #29 in the countdown and 8th in the B1G. If you had told a Cornhuskers fan 10 years ago that they would go 6-6 in 2024 followed by their first bowl appearance after a 7 year postseason drought, they would have had you committed. But Matt Ruhle managed to end the streak in just his 2nd season after replacing Scott Frost, who had long worn out his welcome as coach. “From the town of Lincoln, Nebraska, with a fifth of Jack in my cart, through to the back nine at the country club, I was asked to swiftly depart.” (apologies to Bruce Springsteen) Rhule is at least attempting to restore the good will of fans about Frost’s time as a player.
Roster outlook
Nebraska ranks 50th in returning production in 2025, and 30th on the offensive side of the ball. That’s plenty for new OC Dana Holgorsen to work with. Patrick Mahomes Dylan Raiola returns for his second season at QB, and he’ll have RB Emmett Johnson to hand the ball off to, though his tandem partner Dante Dowdell transferred to Kentucky. He’ll have a nearly completely new receiving corps, losing WRs Isaiah Neyor and Jahmal Banks along with starting TE Thomas Fidone. Gone too are sack leaders Ty Robinson and John Bullock, but Ruhle has brought in the #2 portal class in the B1G (13th nationally) along with the #6 recruiting class in the conference as well. Incoming starters include WRs Nyziah Hunter (Cal) and Dane Key (Kentucky, it’s like Kentucky and Nebraska made an offseason trade!), OL Elijah Pritchett (Bama) and Rocco Spindler (Notre Dame) and Oklahoma S Dasan McCullough. So more protection for Raiola and a couple of new targets should give him more tools to make a leap. New DC John Butler comes in from the Buffalo Bills, and that’s a much bigger unknown as far as what the defense will look like.
Schedule and outlook
For the first time in 5 years, the Huskers don’t have a rivalry OOC game (Colorado or Oklahoma), instead opening at Arrowhead with Cincinnati before hosting Akron and Houston Christian. That is a recipe for a 3-0 start before opening B1G play with Michigan in Bryce Underwood’s conference opener. The rest of the conference slate includes 4 games against teams projected far below them (Michigan State, at Maryland, Northwestern and at UCLA), 3 against teams comparably rated (at Minnesota, USC and Iowa) and only 1 where they figure to be a significant dog (at Penn State). Things look pretty good for fans to be eating a bunch of celebratory Runzas in 2025 in Lincoln!