Nebraska

2026 season

Big Ten

2026 preseason report

Historical preseason snapshot from 2026-07-29, including roster context and illustrative season projections. This is not a live injury feed.

What every system says

Nebraska's rank in each system (1 = best). Middle rank 15 across 8 systems; best 13, worst 19, so they disagree by 6 places.

Lab EPA: #15; Through week 82026 · 138 rated FBS teams · Through week 8. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Equal ratings take separate places, ordered by team name.
Lab SRS: #17; down 12026 · 138 FBS roster teams, including prior-only teams · Through week 8 · built 2026-10-30T11:17:06.745613+00:00. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Equal ratings take separate places, ordered by team name.
SP+: #15; up 12026 · 138 published SP+ teams · Provider week 9 · captured 2026-10-25T21:28:39.844929+00:00. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Published provider ranks; tie handling is not documented in this snapshot.
Elo: #19; down 12026 · 138 rated FBS teams · Through week 8 · captured 2026-10-30T11:02:01.130624+00:00. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Equal ratings share the best tied rank; the next rank skips places.
FPI: #13; up 22026 · 138 rated FBS teams · Event cutoff not supplied · captured 2026-10-30T11:02:01.130624+00:00. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Equal ratings share the best tied rank; the next rank skips places.
CORE: #19; up 2 · Through week 8 · captured 2026-10-30T11:02:01.130624+00:002026 · 138 rated FBS teams · Through week 8 · captured 2026-10-30T11:02:01.130624+00:00. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Equal ratings share the best tied rank; the next rank skips places.
CFBD SRS: #15; up 12026 · 138 rated FBS teams · Event cutoff not supplied · captured 2026-10-30T11:02:01.130624+00:00. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Equal ratings share the best tied rank; the next rank skips places.
WEPA: #15; down 22026 · 138 rated FBS teams · Event cutoff not supplied · captured 2026-10-30T11:02:01.130624+00:00. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Equal ratings share the best tied rank; the next rank skips places.

Compare every team

FPI context

ESPN FPI via CFBD · 2026

Résumé and schedule

Results earned and schedule difficulty

Strength of record: #33 of 138
Schedule strength: #43 of 138
Remaining schedule strength: #34 of 138
Game control: #18 of 138

Unit efficiency

Performance by unit

Overall: #14 of 138
Offense: #29 of 138
Defense: #12 of 138
Special teams: #104 of 138

Ranks calculated among rated FBS teams; ties share rank. #1 means strongest résumé, hardest schedule, best game control or highest efficiency. These are separate measures, not a combined forecast. Captured Oct 30, 2026, 06:02:01 CDT. FPI supplies no results-through week; capture time records when we received it.

Why the ratings disagree

Nebraska · 2026. Each system answers a different question. The cards show each source's rank (published or computed here) and coverage, so a rank gap can also reflect which teams have data.

Record

5-2 wins–losses

No rank assigned

Results earned. Wins and losses do not account for opponent strength or victory margin.

2026, provider Week 9; captured 2026-10-25T21:28:39.844929+00:00

SP+ workbook record

Descriptive EPA

0.147 net EPA/play

#15

2026 · 138 rated FBS teams · Through week 8. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Equal ratings take separate places, ordered by team name.

Observed per-play efficiency after opponent adjustment. FBS-vs-FBS plays; no preseason strength prior. Sparse schedules can produce sharp early movement.

2026, through CFBD Week 8; opponent adjusted ridge

Lab EPA from CFBD plays

Local predictive SRS

10.82 points

#17 · Down 1 place since the previous CFBD cutoff

2026 · 138 FBS roster teams, including prior-only teams · Through week 8 · built 2026-10-30T11:17:06.745613+00:00. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Equal ratings take separate places, ordered by team name.

This season's 7 games, with recent games counting a bit more: average margin +16.20 (with blowouts capped at 35 points and overtime games counted as a 1-point result, then 2.5 points of home field removed) against opponents averaging -1.82, schedule #59 of 138 (#1 = toughest); 1 FCS opponent counts at −25; FBS opponents alone average +1.86. That is worth +14.38 on its own; the preseason prior of +0.09 still carries 25% of the weight, giving +10.82.

How each game enters this SRS rating

Nebraska · 2026, through CFBD Week 8. Margins are team minus opponent. The fit caps margins and treats overtime as a one-point result before adjusting for venue. Recent games carry more weight; the fit share includes the preseason prior in its denominator.

Game	Raw margin → transformed	Venue adjustment	Recency weight	Fit share	Opponent rating	Margin term	Opponent term	Total term
Week 1 · Ohio home · 2026-09-05 · ID 401858430	+28.00 → +28.00	-2.50	0.7637	9.52%	-1.24	2.429	-0.118	2.310
Week 2 · Bowling Green home · 2026-09-12 · ID 401858441	+49.00 → +35.00	-2.50	0.7937	9.90%	-11.98	3.217	-1.186	2.031
Week 3 · North Dakota home · 2026-09-19 · ID 401858452	+27.00 → +27.00	-2.50	0.8249	10.29%	-25.00 (fixed lower division)	2.520	-2.572	-0.051
Week 4 · Michigan State away · 2026-09-26 · ID 401858464	+18.00 → +18.00	+2.50	0.8572	10.69%	+0.05	2.192	0.005	2.197
Week 5 · Maryland home · 2026-10-03 · ID 401858475	+25.00 → +25.00	-2.50	0.8909	11.11%	-4.71	2.500	-0.524	1.976
Week 6 · Indiana home · 2026-10-10 · ID 401858481	-3.00 → -3.00	-2.50	0.9259	11.55%	+17.33	-0.635	2.001	1.366
Week 7 · Oregon away · 2026-10-18 · ID 401858492	-3.00 → -3.00	+2.50	0.9622	12.00%	+8.55	-0.060	1.026	0.966

Game terms +10.80 points; prior term +0.02 points. Their unrounded sum is the fitted rating +10.82 points. The preseason prior is +0.09 with 24.94% of the fit weight. Displayed values are rounded; the producer checks the unrounded identity within 0.00000001 points.

These are additive terms of the current fit, not the effect of removing a game. Opponent ratings already reflect the connected schedule. Lower-division opponents use the fixed anchor, not an individually fitted rating. The rating's model-based 95% band is ±9.2 points; this decomposition does not reduce uncertainty or assign causal effects.

Download fitted terms and source hashes

Estimated strength from schedule-adjusted scoring margins, margin caps, home-field adjustment and recency weighting. Half of prior-season strength, including postseason, carries forward with two games of weight. SRS includes FCS opponents under a fixed strength assumption. 7 current games; prior available.

2026, through CFBD Week 8; generated 2026-10-30T11:17:06.745613+00:00

Lab SRS from CFBD scores

External SP+

15.4 SP+ points

#15 · Up 1 place

2026 · 138 published SP+ teams · Provider week 9 · captured 2026-10-25T21:28:39.844929+00:00. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Published provider ranks; tie handling is not documented in this snapshot.

Bill Connelly's published predictive strength estimate. Its method and scale differ from local SRS.

2026, provider Week 9; captured 2026-10-25T21:28:39.844929+00:00

Bill Connelly SP+ workbook

External CORE

14.56 net points per 100 offensive + 100 defensive plays

#19 of 138 by overall (ranked here; CORE publishes no rank)

2026 · 138 rated FBS teams in this CORE board · 2026, through regular Week 8; model core-v1; captured 2026-10-30T11:02:06.855798+00:00. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Equal ratings share the best tied rank; the next rank skips places.

CFBD's context- and opponent-relative efficiency. Offense is higher-better; defense is points allowed above average, so lower is better; overall is offense minus defense. It counts only pass and rush plays from FBS-vs-FBS games, with no special teams, overtime or garbage time; early-week values are pulled toward average but are still uncertain, and it is not a résumé ranking. Its scale is not comparable to EPA, SRS or SP+. Offense 6.24 on 400 plays; defense -8.32 on 318 plays.

2026, through regular Week 8; model core-v1; captured 2026-10-30T11:02:06.855798+00:00

CFBD CORE rating CORE board: offense vs defense

EPA ranks Nebraska 2 places higher than local SRS at the matched cutoff. This identifies a disagreement; it does not isolate its cause. SP+ movement compares provider weeks 8 and 9. Provider weeks may differ from CFBD weeks, so no cross-provider rank gap is calculated. CORE reports its own inclusive cutoff and is shown beside these systems for comparison only; it is an external research rating and is never blended into the lab's opponent-adjusted EPA, local SRS or any pick.

Team ratings and rank gaps are not matchup spreads or win probabilities. Matchup context and a calibrated forecast mapping are required. Do not average EPA, SRS, SP+ and CORE values across their different scales.

Read local SRS assumptions and forecast evidence

Program context

2026 · CFBD records, polls, recruiting, coaches

Record: 5-2 · conf 2-2 · home 4-1 · away 1-1 · expected wins 5.7
Polls (Week 9): unranked
CFP latest: not published
CFP final: not published
Against the spread: 2026: 6-0-1 ATS (+7.8 avg) · 2025: 4-9 ATS (-2.3 avg)
Head coach: Matt Rhule · hired 2022-11-26 · 19-19 over 4 captured seasons
Recruiting classes: 2024 #18 (248 pts) · 2025 #22 (238 pts) · 2026 #88 (182 pts)
Returning: 46% of production · 39% of usage
Passing, receiving and rushing detail
Category Production Usage
Passing 5% 31%
Receiving 74% 61%
Rushing 30% 29%
Shares of prior-season PPA and usage returning in each category. Missing values are unavailable.

Category	Production	Usage
Passing	5%	31%
Receiving	74%	61%
Rushing	30%	29%

Provider values from CFBD captures dated 2026-09-22, 2026-10-30. head coach for the season; tenure counts cover only the captured seasons, hire date is the provider's. Returning usage carries no signal beyond returning production in this repo's research; neither is a model input.

Recruiting by position group

2023–2026 classes · High school · CFBD · captured 2026-10-30 UTC

Position group	Commits	Avg. stars	Avg. rating	Total rating
Defensive Back	15	3.07	0.8681	13.02
Defensive Line	17	3.41	0.8782	14.93
Linebacker	7	3.29	0.8897	6.23
Offensive Line	17	3.24	0.8819	14.99
Quarterback	3	4.00	0.9288	2.79
Receiver	17	3.24	0.8847	15.04
Running Back	4	3.25	0.8791	3.52
Special Teams	17	3.12	0.8585	14.59

Recruiting class aggregates, not current roster strength. Commits count recruits across the window; total rating also reflects class size. JUCO, prep-school and transfer ratings are excluded. These values do not enter the prediction model.

Player efficiency and usage

2026 · observed 2026-10-30 UTC

Passing and rushing WEPA adjust efficiency for opponents. Kicker PAAR measures points added above replacement. Higher is better within each metric. Metric rows are ordered by sample size, followed by usage-only players. Usage is the share of team plays involving the player within each category; categories overlap and should not be added. CFBD definitions

Player / history	Metric	Value	Plays / attempts	Overall usage	Usage detail	Recruiting
Anthony Colandrea · QB CFBD athlete 5044387. Nebraska (2026–2026); Virginia (2023–2024); UNLV (2025–2025)	Passing WEPA	0.355	220	55.4%	Pass 93.4% · Rush 20.7% 1st 46.3% · 2nd 54.8% · 3rd 78.2% Standard downs 47.7% · Passing downs 71.5%	2023: 3★ · 0.8483
Mekhi Nelson · RB CFBD athlete 5227018. Nebraska (2024–2026)	Rushing WEPA	0.183	66	16.9%	Pass 6.1% · Rush 27.7% 1st 19.4% · 2nd 23.2% · 3rd 3.0% Standard downs 19.2% · Passing downs 12.1%	2024: 3★ · 0.8783
Anthony Colandrea · QB CFBD athlete 5044387. Nebraska (2026–2026); Virginia (2023–2024); UNLV (2025–2025)	Rushing WEPA	0.401	54	55.4%	Pass 93.4% · Rush 20.7% 1st 46.3% · 2nd 54.8% · 3rd 78.2% Standard downs 47.7% · Passing downs 71.5%	2023: 3★ · 0.8483
Jamal Rule · RB CFBD athlete 5290565. Nebraska (2026–2026)	Rushing WEPA	0.325	47	15.3%	Pass 3.4% · Rush 26.6% 1st 18.4% · 2nd 11.3% · 3rd 12.5% Standard downs 19.2% · Passing downs 7.1%	2026: 3★ · 0.8767
Isaiah Mozee · RB CFBD athlete 5141607. Nebraska (2025–2026)	Rushing WEPA	0.151	34	10.8%	Pass 4.9% · Rush 16.8% 1st 13.2% · 2nd 10.1% · 3rd 7.9% Standard downs 10.5% · Passing downs 11.5%	2025: 4★ · 0.9026
Kyle Cunanan · PK CFBD athlete 5151038. Nebraska (2025–2026); Charlotte (2023–2024)	Kicker PAAR	-3.710	8	—	Pass — · Rush — 1st — · 2nd — · 3rd — Standard downs — · Passing downs —	Not linked
Carter Nelson · TE CFBD athlete 5110168. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	1.4%	Pass 3.3% · Rush 0.0% 1st 1.6% · 2nd 0.0% · 3rd 3.3% Standard downs 1.9% · Passing downs 0.0%	Not linked
Cayden Echternach · TE CFBD athlete 5152192. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	1.5%	Pass 2.8% · Rush 0.0% 1st 0.0% · 2nd 4.8% · 3rd 0.0% Standard downs 2.5% · Passing downs 0.0%	Not linked
Conor Booth · RB CFBD athlete 5163093. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	1.4%	Pass 0.0% · Rush 2.7% 1st 1.0% · 2nd 1.4% · 3rd 2.8% Standard downs 0.7% · Passing downs 3.2%	Not linked
Cortez Mills Jr. · WR CFBD athlete 5141599. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	4.5%	Pass 9.4% · Rush 0.0% 1st 2.9% · 2nd 4.5% · 3rd 12.5% Standard downs 2.0% · Passing downs 13.3%	Not linked
Daniel Kaelin · QB CFBD athlete 5126471. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	4.2%	Pass 7.7% · Rush 2.2% 1st 6.7% · 2nd 0.0% · 3rd 6.7% Standard downs 4.0% · Passing downs 4.5%	Not linked
Danny King · TE CFBD athlete 5219066. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	1.4%	Pass 3.8% · Rush 0.0% 1st 0.0% · 2nd 0.0% · 3rd 6.7% Standard downs 0.0% · Passing downs 4.5%	Not linked
Demitrius Bell · WR CFBD athlete 5075705. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	1.4%	Pass 2.6% · Rush 0.0% 1st 1.0% · 2nd 1.4% · 3rd 2.2% Standard downs 1.4% · Passing downs 1.3%	Not linked
Jacory Barney Jr. · WR CFBD athlete 5083370. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	9.0%	Pass 17.2% · Rush 1.6% 1st 7.9% · 2nd 7.7% · 3rd 13.9% Standard downs 8.1% · Passing downs 10.9%	Not linked
Janiran Bonner · WR CFBD athlete 4685274. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	1.7%	Pass 3.1% · Rush 0.6% 1st 1.5% · 2nd 3.1% · 3rd 0.0% Standard downs 2.5% · Passing downs 0.0%	Not linked
Keelan Smith · WR CFBD athlete 5144160. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	1.4%	Pass 3.3% · Rush 0.0% 1st 1.6% · 2nd 2.0% · 3rd 0.0% Standard downs 1.9% · Passing downs 0.0%	Not linked
Kwazi Gilmer · WR CFBD athlete 5127885. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	12.4%	Pass 25.8% · Rush 0.0% 1st 9.3% · 2nd 13.7% · 3rd 16.8% Standard downs 9.9% · Passing downs 17.6%	Not linked
Kwinten Ives · RB CFBD athlete 5120456. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	2.8%	Pass 2.0% · Rush 3.6% 1st 2.0% · 2nd 5.5% · 3rd 0.0% Standard downs 2.6% · Passing downs 3.2%	Not linked
Larry Miles · WR CFBD athlete 5272709. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	1.4%	Pass 3.8% · Rush 0.0% 1st 3.3% · 2nd 0.0% · 3rd 0.0% Standard downs 2.0% · Passing downs 0.0%	Not linked
Luke Lindenmeyer · TE CFBD athlete 5081107. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	6.5%	Pass 13.5% · Rush 0.0% 1st 5.7% · 2nd 6.0% · 3rd 8.9% Standard downs 5.8% · Passing downs 7.9%	Not linked
Nyziah Hunter · WR CFBD athlete 5078312. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	5.3%	Pass 9.0% · Rush 2.0% 1st 6.6% · 2nd 5.4% · 3rd 3.0% Standard downs 5.8% · Passing downs 4.2%	Not linked
Quinn Clark · WR CFBD athlete 5148624. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	2.4%	Pass 4.9% · Rush 0.0% 1st 2.6% · 2nd 1.8% · 3rd 2.0% Standard downs 2.6% · Passing downs 1.8%	Not linked
TJ Lateef · QB CFBD athlete 5141556. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	9.4%	Pass 19.0% · Rush 2.6% 1st 4.7% · 2nd 19.1% · 3rd 4.3% Standard downs 7.9% · Passing downs 13.5%	Not linked

Transfers

Incoming · 17 reported

Player	From	Date	Stars / rating	Eligibility
Anthony Colandrea · QB	UNLV	2026-01-07	3★ / 0.8700	Immediate
Anthony Jones · EDGE	UCLA	2026-01-08	3★ / 0.8800	Immediate
Brendan Black · IOL	Iowa State	2026-01-05	4★ / 0.9200	Immediate
Daniel Kaelin · QB	Virginia	2026-01-12	3★ / 0.8500	Immediate
Dexter Foster · LB	Oregon State	2026-01-07	3★ / 0.8500	Immediate
Dwayne McDougle · S	San Diego State	2026-01-07	3★ / 0.8700	Immediate
Jack Wills · LS	Michigan State	2026-01-11	3★ / 0.8300	Immediate
Jahsear Whittington · DL	Pittsburgh	2026-01-12	3★ / 0.8600	Immediate
Jasin Shiggs · S	Towson	2026-01-12	3★ / 0.8600	Immediate
Kwazi Gilmer · WR	UCLA	2026-01-09	3★ / 0.8700	Immediate
Owen Chambliss · LB	San Diego State	2026-01-06	3★ / 0.8700	Immediate
Owen Stoudmire · DL	Boston College	2026-01-14	3★ / 0.8600	Immediate
Paul Mubenga · IOL	LSU	2026-01-13	3★ / 0.8700	Immediate
Tikey Hayes · RB	Penn State	2026-07-14	3★ / —	Immediate
Tree Babalade · OT	South Carolina	2026-01-06	3★ / 0.8700	Immediate
Victor Evans III · CB	Florida International	2026-01-10	3★ / 0.8500	Immediate
Will Hawthorne · LB	Iowa State	2026-01-06	3★ / 0.8600	Immediate

Outgoing · 19 reported

Player	To	Date	Stars / rating	Eligibility
Braylen Prude · S	Not reported	2026-01-06	3★ / —	Withdrawn
Brian Tapu · OT	San José State	2026-01-21	3★ / 0.8600	Immediate
Brice Turner · WR	Not reported	2026-01-05	3★ / —	Immediate
Caden VerMaas · S	Rice	2026-01-10	3★ / 0.8500	Immediate
Dylan Parrott · DL	Not reported	2026-01-11	— / —	Withdrawn
Dylan Raiola · QB	Oregon	2026-01-12	4★ / 0.9400	Immediate
Houston Ka'aha'aina-Torres · IOL	Michigan	2026-01-12	3★ / 0.8600	Immediate
Jamarion Parker · RB	Not reported	2025-12-08	3★ / —	Immediate
Jason Maciejczak · IOL	Wyoming	2026-01-08	3★ / —	Immediate
Kenneth Williams · RB	Michigan State	2026-01-18	3★ / 0.8500	Immediate
Keona Davis · DL	Miami	2026-01-14	4★ / 0.9300	TBD
Malcolm Hartzog · S	Arizona	2026-01-10	3★ / 0.8600	Immediate
Marcos Davila · QB	Abilene Christian	2026-01-13	3★ / 0.8600	Immediate
Maverick Noonan · EDGE	Fresno State	2026-01-12	3★ / 0.8400	Immediate
Preston Okafor · S	Fresno State	2026-01-09	— / —	Immediate
Rahmir Stewart · S	Not reported	2026-01-03	3★ / —	Immediate
Roger Gradney · LB	Southern	2026-01-23	3★ / 0.8500	Immediate
Tristan Alvano · K	South Dakota State	2026-01-13	3★ / —	Immediate
Willis McGahee IV · EDGE	Not reported	2026-01-11	3★ / —	Withdrawn

Transfer observations can include unresolved destinations. CFBD supplies no timezone for transfer dates and no athlete ID linking these records to the efficiency table. These observations do not establish current roster membership or game availability.

Descriptive context only; no player or transfer value enters the prediction model. Adjusted metrics require unambiguous season/team history. Usage-only rows use the captured athlete ID and team; conflicting usage identities are omitted. Missing values are unavailable, not zero. Provider coverage is incomplete.

Coaching eras

Continuous appointments at Nebraska. Records are CFBD-attributed results; active tenures and the current season may be incomplete.

Matt Rhule · career 66–62 across 11 seasons and 3 schools

Tenure timeline · 29 appointments

2023–present · Matt Rhule · active at capture
19–19 · 38 attributed games · 4 seasons
Hired 2022-11-26. Exact effective dates unavailable.
2022–2022 · Mickey Joseph · interim
3–6 · 9 attributed games · 1 seasons · incomplete attribution
Hired 2022-09-11. Exact effective dates unavailable.
2018–2022 · Scott Frost
16–31 · 47 attributed games · 5 seasons · incomplete attribution
Hired 2017-12-02. Exact effective dates unavailable.
2015–2017 · Mike Riley
19–19 · 38 attributed games · 3 seasons
Hired 2014-12-04. Exact effective dates unavailable.
2008–2014 · Bo Pelini
66–27 · 93 attributed games · 7 seasons
Hired 2007-12-02. Exact effective dates unavailable.
2004–2007 · Bill Callahan
27–22 · 49 attributed games · 4 seasons
Hired 2004-01-09. Exact effective dates unavailable.
2003–2003 · Bo Pelini
1–0 · 1 attributed games · 1 seasons · incomplete attribution
Hired 2003-11-29. Exact effective dates unavailable.
1998–2003 · Frank Solich
58–19 · 77 attributed games · 6 seasons · incomplete attribution
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1973–1997 · Tom Osborne
255–49–3 · 307 attributed games · 25 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1962–1972 · Bob Devaney
101–20–2 · 123 attributed games · 11 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1957–1961 · William Jennings
15–34–1 · 50 attributed games · 5 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1956–1956 · Pete Elliott
4–6 · 10 attributed games · 1 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1949–1955 · William Glassford
30–35–4 · 69 attributed games · 7 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1948–1948 · Potsy Clark
2–8 · 10 attributed games · 1 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1946–1947 · Bernie Masterson
5–13 · 18 attributed games · 2 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1945–1945 · Potsy Clark
4–5 · 9 attributed games · 1 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1943–1944 · Adolph Lewandowski
4–12 · 16 attributed games · 2 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1942–1942 · Glenn Presnell
3–7 · 10 attributed games · 1 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1937–1941 · Biff Jones
28–14–4 · 46 attributed games · 5 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1929–1936 · Dana Bible
50–15–7 · 72 attributed games · 8 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1925–1928 · Ernest Bearg
23–7–3 · 33 attributed games · 4 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1921–1924 · Fred Dawson
23–7–2 · 32 attributed games · 4 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1919–1920 · Henry Schulte
8–6–3 · 17 attributed games · 2 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1918–1918 · William Kline
2–3–1 · 6 attributed games · 1 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1916–1917 · Edward Stewart
11–4 · 15 attributed games · 2 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1911–1915 · Jumbo Stiehm
35–2–3 · 40 attributed games · 5 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1907–1910 · King Cole
25–8–3 · 36 attributed games · 4 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1906–1906 · Amos Foster
6–4 · 10 attributed games · 1 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.
1900–1905 · Walter Booth
46–8–1 · 55 attributed games · 6 seasons
Exact effective dates unavailable.

Season résumé · 2015–2026

Coach-attributed records appear beside team-season ratings, recruiting and poll context. Shared seasons appear once per coach; rows are not assigned to individual stints. Ratings describe team performance, not a causal coaching effect.

Season / coach	Record	Conference	Postseason	SP+	SRS	Recruiting rank	Final poll
2026 · Matt Rhule · incomplete attribution	0–0	—	—	15.6	16.1	88	—
2025 · Matt Rhule	7–6	4–5	0–1	6.2	2.5	22	—
2024 · Matt Rhule	7–6	3–6	1–0	5.5	8.5	18	—
2023 · Matt Rhule	5–7	3–6	0–0	0.3	1.3	25	—
2022 · Scott Frost · incomplete attribution	1–2	—	—	-1.2	-1.8	41	—
2022 · Mickey Joseph · incomplete attribution	3–6	—	—	-1.2	-1.8	41	—
2021 · Scott Frost	3–9	1–8	0–0	10.3	7.3	20	—
2020 · Scott Frost	3–5	3–5	0–0	7.7	0.5	20	—
2019 · Scott Frost	5–7	3–6	0–0	2.6	3.2	18	—
2018 · Scott Frost	4–8	3–6	0–0	5.4	2.5	23	—
2017 · Mike Riley	4–8	3–6	0–0	2.5	-0.9	23	—
2016 · Mike Riley	9–4	6–3	0–1	10.3	6.9	26	—
2015 · Mike Riley	6–7	3–5	1–0	11.1	6.6	30	—

Download coaching history JSON

Source: CFBD · captured 2026-10-26T02:02:59.394463+00:00 UTC. Season résumé covers 2015–2026; timeline spans all returned tenures. — means unavailable. Career summaries cover active coaches at capture. This snapshot is descriptive and is not a pregame cutoff.

CFBD season overview

2026 stored season snapshot, including postseason and garbage time. Raw CFBD PPA is not opponent-adjusted EPA or player WEPA. No week cutoff; these values do not enter our forecasts.

Captured 2026-10-26 04:10:14.047809 UTC · Source data

Stat rankings

CFBD FBS ranks · source updated 2026-10-23 16:45:55 UTC · calculated 2026-10-26 04:10:14 UTC · provider cache expiry 2026-10-26 04:20:14 UTC. Rank 1 is best; percentiles use CFBD’s 0–100 scale.

Statistic	Offense rank / population	Percentile	Defense rank / population	Percentile
PPA / play	20 / 138	86.1	22 / 138	84.7
Success rate	51 / 138	63.5	13 / 138	91.2
Explosiveness	4 / 138	97.8	97 / 138	29.9
Standard-down success	78 / 138	43.8	37 / 138	73.7
Passing-down success	11 / 138	92.7	3 / 138	98.5
Pass PPA	52 / 138	62.8	4 / 138	97.8
Rush PPA	7 / 138	95.6	66 / 138	52.6
Pass explosiveness	79 / 138	43.1	37 / 138	73.7
Rush explosiveness	2 / 138	99.3	102 / 138	26.3
Line yards	53 / 138	62.0	68 / 138	51.1
Second-level yards	13 / 138	91.2	53 / 138	62.0
Open-field yards	20 / 138	86.1	32 / 138	77.4
Stuff rate	T67 / 138	51.5	71 / 138	48.9
Power success	T43 / 138	69.0	121 / 138	12.4
Havoc	T54 / 138	60.9	T13 / 138	90.5
Front-seven havoc	T59 / 138	55.8	T11 / 138	92.0
DB havoc	T44 / 138	67.5	T42 / 138	69.0
Points / opportunity	5 / 138	97.1	5 / 138	97.1
Average field position	T64 / 138	53.3	T76 / 138	44.9
Field-position expected points	67 / 138	51.8	71 / 138	48.9

Player PPA and usage

Ordered by overall usage. Open a player for pass, rush, down and situation splits. Usage is the provider’s share of team plays in each situation; PPA is the provider’s average or total for that player. Missing values stay blank (—); play counts are not supplied here. Standard downs are 1st down, 2nd-and-7 or shorter, and 3rd/4th-and-4 or shorter; other situations are passing downs.

Anthony Colandrea · QBUsage 55.4% · Avg PPA 0.320 · Total 90.233

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.320	90.233	55.4%
Pass	0.261	59.573	93.4%
Rush	0.664	35.215	20.7%
1st down	0.010	1.047	46.3%
2nd down	0.427	39.280	54.8%
3rd down	0.854	67.435	78.2%
Standard downs	0.098	16.103	47.7%
Passing downs	0.628	74.130	71.5%

Mekhi Nelson · RBUsage 16.9% · Avg PPA 0.164 · Total 14.142

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.164	14.142	16.9%
Pass	0.831	12.461	6.1%
Rush	0.024	1.681	27.7%
1st down	-0.026	-1.133	19.4%
2nd down	0.386	15.050	23.2%
3rd down	0.075	0.226	3.0%
Standard downs	-0.012	-0.760	19.2%
Passing downs	0.745	14.903	12.1%

Jamal Rule · RBUsage 15.3% · Avg PPA 0.471 · Total 31.064

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.471	31.064	15.3%
Pass	0.830	5.810	3.4%
Rush	0.428	25.254	26.6%
1st down	0.275	9.634	18.4%
2nd down	0.428	6.844	11.3%
3rd down	0.639	7.030	12.5%
Standard downs	0.425	23.810	19.2%
Passing downs	0.725	7.254	7.1%

Kwazi Gilmer · WRUsage 12.4% · Avg PPA 0.436 · Total 27.485

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.436	27.485	12.4%
Pass	0.436	27.485	25.8%
Rush	—	0.000	0.0%
1st down	0.080	1.673	9.3%
2nd down	0.541	12.448	13.7%
3rd down	1.241	21.100	16.8%
Standard downs	0.209	7.108	9.9%
Passing downs	0.703	20.377	17.6%

Isaiah Mozee · RBUsage 10.8% · Avg PPA 0.131 · Total 7.206

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.131	7.206	10.8%
Pass	0.458	5.497	4.9%
Rush	0.040	1.709	16.8%
1st down	0.080	2.406	13.2%
2nd down	0.081	1.382	10.1%
3rd down	0.427	3.418	7.9%
Standard downs	0.052	1.881	10.5%
Passing downs	0.280	5.325	11.5%

TJ Lateef · QBUsage 9.4% · Avg PPA 0.767 · Total 9.966

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.767	9.966	9.4%
Pass	0.722	7.944	19.0%
Rush	1.011	2.023	2.6%
1st down	0.025	0.074	4.7%
2nd down	0.801	7.210	19.1%
3rd down	2.682	2.682	4.3%
Standard downs	0.307	2.454	7.9%
Passing downs	1.502	7.512	13.5%

Jacory Barney Jr. · WRUsage 9.0% · Avg PPA 0.696 · Total 32.022

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.696	32.022	9.0%
Pass	0.727	30.532	17.2%
Rush	0.372	1.490	1.6%
1st down	0.439	7.911	7.9%
2nd down	0.507	6.586	7.7%
3rd down	1.073	15.017	13.9%
Standard downs	0.447	12.514	8.1%
Passing downs	1.084	19.507	10.9%

Luke Lindenmeyer · TEUsage 6.5% · Avg PPA 0.214 · Total 7.049

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.214	7.049	6.5%
Pass	0.214	7.049	13.5%
Rush	—	0.000	0.0%
1st down	0.090	1.170	5.7%
2nd down	-0.029	-0.288	6.0%
3rd down	1.133	10.194	8.9%
Standard downs	-0.103	-2.054	5.8%
Passing downs	0.700	9.104	7.9%

Nyziah Hunter · WRUsage 5.3% · Avg PPA 0.034 · Total 0.921

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.034	0.921	5.3%
Pass	0.038	0.838	9.0%
Rush	0.017	0.084	2.0%
1st down	-0.185	-2.778	6.6%
2nd down	0.017	0.156	5.4%
3rd down	1.181	3.543	3.0%
Standard downs	-0.062	-1.249	5.8%
Passing downs	0.310	2.171	4.2%

Cortez Mills Jr. · WRUsage 4.5% · Avg PPA 0.879 · Total 2.636

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.879	2.636	4.5%
Pass	0.879	2.636	9.4%
Rush	—	0.000	0.0%
1st down	0.992	0.992	2.9%
2nd down	-1.037	-1.037	4.5%
3rd down	2.682	2.682	12.5%
Standard downs	0.992	0.992	2.0%
Passing downs	0.822	1.644	13.3%

Daniel Kaelin · QBUsage 4.2% · Avg PPA -0.482 · Total -1.446

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	-0.482	-1.446	4.2%
Pass	-0.640	-1.279	7.7%
Rush	-0.167	-0.167	2.2%
1st down	-0.354	-0.707	6.7%
2nd down	—	0.000	0.0%
3rd down	-0.739	-0.739	6.7%
Standard downs	-0.354	-0.707	4.0%
Passing downs	-0.739	-0.739	4.5%

Kwinten Ives · RBUsage 2.8% · Avg PPA 0.954 · Total 5.722

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.954	5.722	2.8%
Pass	2.550	5.100	2.0%
Rush	0.156	0.623	3.6%
1st down	-0.688	-1.377	2.0%
2nd down	1.775	7.099	5.5%
3rd down	—	0.000	0.0%
Standard downs	0.800	3.199	2.6%
Passing downs	1.262	2.524	3.2%

Quinn Clark · WRUsage 2.4% · Avg PPA -0.052 · Total -0.625

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	-0.052	-0.625	2.4%
Pass	-0.052	-0.625	4.9%
Rush	—	0.000	0.0%
1st down	-0.217	-1.305	2.6%
2nd down	0.732	2.195	1.8%
3rd down	1.185	2.371	2.0%
Standard downs	-0.524	-4.712	2.6%
Passing downs	1.362	4.087	1.8%

Janiran Bonner · WRUsage 1.7% · Avg PPA -0.431 · Total -2.156

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	-0.431	-2.156	1.7%
Pass	-0.299	-1.194	3.1%
Rush	-0.962	-0.962	0.6%
1st down	-1.053	-2.105	1.5%
2nd down	-0.017	-0.051	3.1%
3rd down	—	0.000	0.0%
Standard downs	-0.431	-2.156	2.5%
Passing downs	—	0.000	0.0%

Cayden Echternach · TEUsage 1.5% · Avg PPA -0.842 · Total -0.842

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	-0.842	-0.842	1.5%
Pass	-0.842	-0.842	2.8%
Rush	—	0.000	0.0%
1st down	—	0.000	0.0%
2nd down	-0.842	-0.842	4.8%
3rd down	—	0.000	0.0%
Standard downs	-0.842	-0.842	2.5%
Passing downs	—	0.000	0.0%

Carter Nelson · TEUsage 1.4% · Avg PPA -0.325 · Total -0.650

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	-0.325	-0.650	1.4%
Pass	-0.325	-0.650	3.3%
Rush	—	0.000	0.0%
1st down	0.196	0.196	1.6%
2nd down	—	0.000	0.0%
3rd down	-0.845	-0.845	3.3%
Standard downs	-0.325	-0.650	1.9%
Passing downs	—	0.000	0.0%

Conor Booth · RBUsage 1.4% · Avg PPA 0.174 · Total 0.522

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.174	0.522	1.4%
Pass	—	0.000	0.0%
Rush	0.174	0.522	2.7%
1st down	0.654	0.654	1.0%
2nd down	-0.196	-0.196	1.4%
3rd down	0.063	0.063	2.8%
Standard downs	0.654	0.654	0.7%
Passing downs	-0.066	-0.133	3.2%

Danny King · TEUsage 1.4% · Avg PPA -0.739 · Total -0.739

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	-0.739	-0.739	1.4%
Pass	-0.739	-0.739	3.8%
Rush	—	0.000	0.0%
1st down	—	0.000	0.0%
2nd down	—	0.000	0.0%
3rd down	-0.739	-0.739	6.7%
Standard downs	—	0.000	0.0%
Passing downs	-0.739	-0.739	4.5%

Demitrius Bell · WRUsage 1.4% · Avg PPA -0.391 · Total -1.174

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	-0.391	-1.174	1.4%
Pass	-0.391	-1.174	2.6%
Rush	—	0.000	0.0%
1st down	-0.508	-0.508	1.0%
2nd down	-0.116	-0.116	1.4%
3rd down	-0.550	-0.550	2.2%
Standard downs	-0.312	-0.624	1.4%
Passing downs	-0.550	-0.550	1.3%

Keelan Smith · WRUsage 1.4% · Avg PPA -1.107 · Total -2.215

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	-1.107	-2.215	1.4%
Pass	-1.107	-2.215	3.3%
Rush	—	0.000	0.0%
1st down	-0.939	-0.939	1.6%
2nd down	-1.275	-1.275	2.0%
3rd down	—	0.000	0.0%
Standard downs	-1.107	-2.215	1.9%
Passing downs	—	0.000	0.0%

Larry Miles · WRUsage 1.4% · Avg PPA -0.541 · Total -0.541

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	-0.541	-0.541	1.4%
Pass	-0.541	-0.541	3.8%
Rush	—	0.000	0.0%
1st down	-0.541	-0.541	3.3%
2nd down	—	0.000	0.0%
3rd down	—	0.000	0.0%
Standard downs	-0.541	-0.541	2.0%
Passing downs	—	0.000	0.0%

Where Nebraska sits · 2026 FBS distributions138 teams · raw PPA

2026 · Through provider Week 8. Each metric uses only published FBS teams with a numeric value. Higher percentile is better; tied values receive the midpoint of their positions, rounded to a whole percentile. Missing values are unranked.

Values and percentiles

Nebraska metric values with FBS percentiles, 2026
Metric	Value	Percentile	Better
Offense PPA/play	0.247	86th138 teams	higher
Offense success rate	0.448	64th138 teams	higher
Offense explosiveness	1.397	98th138 teams	higher
Offense pass PPA/play	0.258	63rd138 teams	higher
Offense rush PPA/play	0.258	96th138 teams	higher
Defense PPA/play	-0.029	85th138 teams	lower
Defense success rate	0.346	91st138 teams	lower
Defense explosiveness	1.270	30th138 teams	lower
Defense havoc created	0.196	91st138 teams	higher

Passing profile

2026 · CFBD passing family · raw PPA

Captured 2026-10-30. Offense: 99% of 234 attempts charted. Average depth of target 7.9 yards (23rd percentile of FBS). Yards after catch 5.8 per completion. Completion 62.4%, 7.0 yards per attempt, pass PPA 0.35.

Completion percentage over expected (CPOE)
Side	Actual	Expected	CPOE (pp)	Qualifying / all attempts
Offense	62.4%	62.7%	-0.2	205 / 234
Defense allowed	54.4%	63.1%	-8.7	180 / 199

Actual and expected use the same qualifying attempts, which can be fewer than all passes. CPOE is their difference in percentage points (pp); higher is better on offense, lower allowed is better on defense. CFBD models FBS-vs-FBS passes, excluding spikes, throwaways, intentional grounding and attempts without air yards. — means unavailable; small samples have fewer than 40 qualifying attempts.

Depth of target vs yards after catch, FBS offenses

138 teams with at least 40 charted attempts. The highlighted point is Nebraska.

Target mix by zone, Nebraska offense

Highlighted bars are deep zones. Shares are of located attempts only.

Defense and rushing detail

Nebraska passing defense and rushing profile, 2026
Side	Attempts	Charted	ADOT	YAC	Comp %	PPA	CPOE	CPOE att
Passing offense	234	99%	7.9	5.8	62.4%	0.35	-0.2 pp	205
Passing defense	199	100%	7.7	6.4	53.8%	-0.01	-8.7 pp	180

Rushing production

Side	Attempts	Yards / carry	Success	PPA	Line yards / rush	Second-level yards / rush	Open-field yards / rush	Stuff rate	Power success
Offense	268	5.1	44.9%	0.28	3.10	1.20	1.60	17.2%	76.7%
Defense allowed	217	3.3	36.0%	0.07	2.90	0.90	0.70	17.8%	81.0%

Second-level yards are gained 5–10 yards past the line; open-field yards are beyond 10. These are provider per-rush averages, not totals. Power success measures success with two or fewer yards needed. Exact line-metric and power-success denominators are not supplied in this feed.

Rushing sample and attribution

Side	Yards recorded	Individual	Unattributed	Sacks	Kneels	Team rushes	Multiple carriers	Direction located / eligible
Offense	261 / 268	260	8	11	0	1	0	255 / 256 · 99.6%
Defense allowed	214 / 217	212	5	18	2	2	1	197 / 197 · 100.0%

Counts are attempts. Team totals include sacks, kneels, team-only rushes and unresolved attribution; these categories can overlap and must not be summed. Direction coverage uses ordinary direction-eligible rushes, not all attempts. Missing fields in older captures remain unavailable.

Raw provider values, no opponent adjustment; not model inputs. CFBD metric definitions.

Game-by-game passing and rushing

MetricSide

2026 · Passing CPOE · percentage points. Dashed line: season -0.2 pp. 6 of 7 captured games have this metric. Missing observations break the line.

CPOE is completion percentage over expected on qualifying FBS-vs-FBS attempts; positive means more completions than expected. PPA is raw provider PPA. These are game observations, not opponent-adjusted forecasts. P labels postseason weeks.

Game log and attempt coverage

Week	Opponent	Pass att	CPOE att	Comp %*	Expected %*	CPOE	ADOT	Pass PPA	Rush att	Rush yds/carry	Rush PPA
W1	Ohio	32	32	56.3%	63.8%	-7.5 pp	7.1	0.42	41	6.5	0.53
W2	Bowling Green	32	31	83.9%	63.4%	+20.4 pp	6.9	0.72	34	7.6	0.59
W3	North Dakota	26	0	—	—	—	7.2	0.51	45	6.2	0.31
W4	Michigan State	27	27	55.6%	61.9%	-6.3 pp	7.8	0.43	41	3.3	-0.00
W5	Maryland	39	39	66.7%	61.7%	+4.9 pp	8.6	0.10	35	6.7	0.44
W6	Indiana	44	43	58.1%	59.6%	-1.5 pp	9.8	0.21	39	3.3	0.13
W7	Oregon	34	33	54.5%	66.6%	-12.1 pp	6.7	0.21	33	2.3	-0.11

*Completion and expected rates use the same CPOE-eligible attempts. ADOT uses available air-yard attempts; a game needs at least one. No missing family is filled with the other family’s data.

Punting and returns

2026 season to date · CFBD · captured 2026-10-30T11:16:37.416814+00:00. Descriptive totals, including postseason when present.

Our punts

26 punts · 44.2 gross yards/punt · 41.1 net yards/punt

7 inside the 20 · 2 touchbacks · 0 blocked

Known gross yards: 26/26 punts. Known net yards: 18/26 punts.

Our punt returns

18 returns · 5.7 yards/return · 0 touchdowns

1 muffs · 2 opponent punts blocked

Known return yards: 18/18 returns. Return totals include team-only and unattributed plays.

Recent games

Game	Punts	Gross yd/punt	Net yd/punt	Known net yards
Week 7 · Oregon	9	43.3	37.5	6/9
Week 6 · Indiana	3	57.3	54.0	2/3
Week 5 · Maryland	5	43.6	47.5	2/5
Week 4 · Michigan State	3	43.7	41.3	3/3
Week 3 · North Dakota	3	39.0	34.0	2/3

Team style

Rating history