Ranking Nebraska's remaining opponents of the 2026 season

The Huskers’ second week produced a big 56-7 win over Bowling Green, showing improvement after an uneven Week 1. Nebraska scored 35 points in the first half, Anthony Colandrea threw for over 200 yards and four touchdowns, and the Huskers also tallied 264 rushing yards. This is another step in the right direction for Nebraska, and one that was expected from this team. 

In fact, many teams on Nebraska’s schedule also followed up their previous outing with another performance consistent with their season landscape. Whether opponents improved, or took a step back, it was along the line of its respective season trajectory thus far. This, however, caused another shift in the rankings

Here are the rankings of Nebraska's 10 remaining opponents for the 2026 season.

No. 10: Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers dropped once again in the rankings following another loss to a Massachusetts school. The Scarlet Knights fell to Boston College in a Friday night scuffle once again plagued by turnovers. 

Rutgers lost the ball four times in the loss to the Eagles, bringing its season total up to eight across just two games. The Scarlet Knights also suffered two turnovers on downs in the loss, their second and third incidents of the season. Those numbers alone provide opportunity for opposing teams, especially Nebraska. 

Though all of these turnovers are the result of a quarterback situation. Dylan Lonergan threw three interceptions and fumbled against UMass. AJ Surace threw four interceptions against Boston College. These hindered 200-plus yard, multi-touchdown games from both players. 

But it’s not just Rutgers’ offense who is dealing with the quarterback position. The Scarlet Knights’ defense also faced some difficulties in each game against the quarterback. Against UMass, William Watson III was 19-of-22 for 197 yards and three touchdowns. He also tallied 40 yards on six carries. Against Boston College, Mason McKenzie finished 18-of-29 for 252 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts.

That’s not even mentioning the 350 total rushing yards surrendered by Rutgers’ defense across the two games. Meanwhile, the Scarlet Knights are only at 181 rushing yards. Antwan Raymond did surpass 100 yards rushing against Boston College and averaged five yards per carry in the process. 

This can be the start of a much needed turnaround for Rutgers, who can certainly clean up its act by the time Nebraska comes to visit in November. But for now, these inconsistencies bring the Scarlet Knights down to the bottom. 

No. 9: North Dakota Fighting Hawks

Nebraska’s upcoming opponent continues to make some things happen in the FCS, scoring over 40 points in each of its first three games. Though the Fighting Hawks also allowed over 20 points per game as well, they held a firm lead regardless by striking big in the first half. North Dakota scored 40-plus points in the first half of each of its first two games. In its last game, the team entered halftime up 26-8. 

The Fighting Hawks are backed by Jerry Kaminski, who is 61-of-79 for 801 yards for 11 touchdowns, two interceptions and three sacks. He also has 75 rushing yards on 21 carries, 104 rushing yards on 18 carries when excluding the sacks. His ground game adds to a running back room that is averaging over 200 rushing yards on over 30 carries per game. 

But there are few asterisks that should be noted with these stats. As mentioned, North Dakota’s only faced FCS opponents, who have a combined record of 2-7 so far this season. What’s more is that Portland State did put up a fight against the Fighting Hawks in their first road game of the year. 

Now North Dakota comes to Lincoln for a Saturday night battle in front of over 85,000 Husker fans. Though Nebraska should get the win in this matchup, the Fighting Hawks can present a contest.

No. 8: Maryland Terrapins

Maryland is 2-0, picking up wins over Hampton and UConn. Similar to North Dakota, the Terrapins possess an efficient offense that is going to be tested over the next couple of weeks. UConn did challenge Maryland in the first half, resulting in a 17-7 halftime score. But the Terrapins’ second half surge provided them with a 38-14 win. 

Malik Washington posted 347 passing yards and two touchdowns after tossing 34-of-41. He was also only sacked once, staying primarily clean in his outing. Though he did produce over 70 percent of Maryland’s offense, with the run game only totaling 125 yards on 36 carries. 

The Terrapins defense did fluster UConn at times too, allowing just 67 rushing yards and 156 passing yards and totaling five sacks and one turnover. On top of that, Maryland controlled the clock, holding onto the ball for over 35 minutes of play. All of these are factors that Nebraska already wrestled with in its first two games, and may continue to find difficulty in this season, giving the Terrapins an opportunity to pull out a win when it visits in October. 

That’s if Maryland can keep this up. UConn compared to Virginia Tech or UCLA remains to be seen for now. If the Terrapins can put up good numbers offensively and stand tall defensively over the next two weeks, then they may move up on this list. But for now, they remain No. 8. 

No. 7: Michigan State Spartans

Pat Fitzgerald’s Michigan State team posted a 35-7 over Eastern Michigan. Though that’s the second straight MAC opponent the Spartans couldn’t score 40 on, it was a solid day. Michigan State produced three drives that lasted over six minutes and resulted in two touchdowns and the end of the game. 

Nebraska faced such clock management against Bowling Green, so that’s an area of concern. But Eastern Michigan also found itself in extensive drives, having three drives surpass five minutes of play. If the Huskers end up in a possession battle, a low-scoring game is likely. That doesn’t mean Michigan State can’t make explosive plays with the team earning a 31-yard punt return and nine 15-plus yard plays.

Alessio Milivojevic and Cam Edwards so far provide the pulse for the Spartans offense. Milivojevic is up to 417 passing yards and three touchdowns after going 38-of-54 through the first two games. However, he’s been sacked five times. Edwards, meanwhile, has 250 rushing yards on 48 carries, including 152 yards on 21 carries against Eastern Michigan. 

These will be Nebraska’s key problems on defense. As for its offense, the Spartans allowed 20 points from Toledo and only seven points to Eastern Michigan. But Toledo did suffer a pick and a missed field goal against Michigan State, so it could have been a closer game. As for Eastern Michigan, it did lose to San Jose State as well. 

The Spartans do face Notre Dame this week, arguably their biggest test of the season. It’s also the biggest indicator for what Nebraska can do against Michigan State next week. Going just off these first two games, however, the Spartans can contest Nebraska. But the Huskers can also pick apart Michigan State too.

No. 6: Washington Huskies

The Huskies only won their home matchup with Utah State 16-14. That’s concerning when just a week before, the Aggies lost to Idaho State 29-17. It’s also concerning considering Washington also only beat its in-state rival 24-10 the week before. Yet despite these uneven first two games, the Huskies, when compared to other teams on this list, still possess a group that can triumph over Nebraska. 

Demond Williams Jr. is Washington’s offense right now, totaling 634 of the Huskies’ 758 all-purpose yards. He is 50-of-76 for 517 yards in the air and churned out 117 yards on 18 carries on the ground. Nebraska’s main issue on defense is getting to the quarterback, so Williams can become a big problem. 

However, Washington’s also been dealing with a dual-threat quarterback week by week. The Huskies allowed Utah State’s quarterback Grady Brosterhaus to throw 17-of-28 for 196 passing yards and run for 81 yards on 21 carries. Washington State’s Caden Pinnick, meanwhile, threw 16-of-25 for 142 passing yards and ran for 61 rushing yards on 14 carries. 

But Washington’s defense has just allowed 24 total points through two games and forced six sacks and five interceptions. Colandrea can contest Washington, especially if the Huskies’ battle against the quarterback balloons due to their offense not getting going. But at the same time, Washington’s defense can give Nebraska headaches, and Williams can be a major threat to the Blackshirts.

No. 5: Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois suffered its first loss of the season against Duke, 31-27. Most of the action occurred in the first half, with the teams heading into the locker room with a 24-21 score in favor of the Fighting Illini. 

But Duke held Illinois to just four drives and just three points in the second half. The Fighting Illini’s last three drives especially were crucial. Illinois failed a fourth-down conversion when it was on the Duke 18-yard line. Then Katin Houser threw an interception near midfield. Finally the Fighting Illini turned over the ball again on downs with just under three minutes left and never saw the ball again. 

Duke also outplayed Illinois on the ground with Nate Sheppard picking up 147 rushing yards on 24 carries. The Fighting Illini totaled just 111 rushing yards on 32 carries. Houser did post 271 passing yards and three touchdowns by going just 24-of-35. However, Duke’s Walker Eget finished 15-of-21 for 206 yards and three touchdowns. 

That makes it two weeks in a row Illinois coughed up over 200 passing yards, despite allowing less than 20 completions. The Fighting Illini also have allowed 364 rushing yards through two games. This seemingly paints a good picture for Nebraska, but much like Washington, a lot can happen between now and the first week of November. 

The road only gets tougher for Illinois. First it needs to rebound and face Southern Illinois, a team that should be a win, but could be a trap game if allowed. Then the Fighting Illini face off with Ohio State and Oregon. If Illinois gets through these opponents without much harm, then Nebraska is in for a big time clash.

No. 4: Oregon Ducks

In arguably the biggest game of last week, Oregon’s loss to Oklahoma State brings it further down in the rankings. Of course, the Cowboys can go on a run and make this game less critical on Oregon’s season. But for now, the Ducks lost to a team that fell to Tulsa, 24-10, and remain disjointed as an overall team. 

Oregon gave up 27 points to Boise State and now 39 points to Oklahoma State. Though the Ducks are averaging over 30 points per game, Oklahoma State showed what happens when a team can’t get a stop. The Cowboys wrangled 317 passing yards and 237 rushing yards. Oregon also scored on a 96-yard pick-six, meaning the Ducks’ offense only scored 24 points, and Oklahoma State could have scored 46. 

Now, Oregon can take the loss as a wake up call, or this could be this year’s Penn State fiasco. But either way, the Ducks still have a strong roster, and Nebraska has to go up to Eugene, keeping this matchup demanding on the Huskers. 

No. 3: Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa survived a low-scoring slugfest with Iowa State, continuing its routine of back-and-forth defensive battles. But because they’re capable of such, and Oregon lost to Oklahoma State, the Hawkeyes climbed up in the rankings. 

Another reason for Iowa moving to No. 3 is because Nebraska’s mistakes in this season thus far are still the same ones as past seasons. Missing some key tackles, penalties, allowing the quarterback to spring free, failing to stop some short pass situations and even an imperfect offensive line are all factors that Iowa capitalizes on. 

For the Huskers, that spells trouble, and they need to address these issues if they want to not only compete with Iowa, but actually get the better of it. Unless Iowa’s formula finally gives out this season, the Hawkeyes will stay high on this list. 

No. 2: Indiana Hoosiers

Indiana’s already scored 50-plus points in each of its first two games. As mentioned last week, the fact that the Hoosiers are already dominating through their first games shows that it is capable of a title defense. Not much else can be said about that. 

Now, there’s a chance that Nebraska and Indiana will likely enter the early October matchup undefeated. But in reality, even though they host the Hoosiers, the Huskers will be the ultimate underdogs in the matchup. 

But for Nebraska, it’s the first major test of the season. Though that certainly should make Indiana the toughest opponent on this schedule, the Huskers’ November struggles over the last decade make another top-five foe more daunting. 

No. 1: Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State blew a 20-point fourth-quarter lead to Texas. That cannot be ignored in every meaning of the word. For this list, that should bring the Buckeyes down. For Nebraska, that should provide some glimmer of hope of an upset. For Ohio State, that collapse needs to be an eye opener. 

Right now, there’s no telling how the Buckeyes will respond to the loss. A fire was lit under Ohio State after it lost to Michigan in 2024, leading to a national title. But last season, after losing to Indiana, the Buckeyes then lost to the eventual national runner-up Miami.

With it being early in the season, and Texas now No. 1, Ohio State can certainly rebound from this. If a fire is lit underneath the team and it goes on a tear this season despite its schedule, Nebraska is in for a long November day. If the Buckeyes struggle, however, from here on out, the Huskers could have a chance. But even with that said, the talent level at Ohio State can be more than enough to give Nebraska much hardship.

The Huskers’ November endurance is one of the biggest question marks on the season. Thus, while Indiana is just as big of a concern, Nebraska’s clash with the Buckeyes will remain on top.

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This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: Ranking Nebraska's remaining opponents of the 2026 season