The first half of the 2025 season is in the books for many college football teams. Nebraska's remaining foes, however, are hard to get a read on.
The first half of the 2025 season is in the books for many college football teams. For Nebraska, it once again finds itself at 5-1 heading into the latter half of its schedule. The Huskers are also riding a two-game winning streak for the second straight year, taking down Michigan State 38-27 before delivering a 34-31 comeback win over Maryland.
But it's safe to say that while many of Nebraska's upcoming opponents are unranked, these teams are anything but predictable. The madness that plagued the college football world continued for yet another week, resulting in teams landing in spots of uncertainty. Though there are some outliers, not many lie ahead for Nebraska.
Regardless, each of the Huskers' remaining six opponents all bring a unique build to the forefront, which can be the difference maker if Nebraska isn't careful.
The Huskers get a short week, heading north for a Friday night lights showdown with Minnesota. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT on FOX.
Here are the rankings of Nebraska's opponents for the second half of the season.
6: Penn State Nittany Lions (Nov. 22)
In just one month, the Nittany Lions went from being one of the top teams in the nation to suddenly being in an identity crisis. After falling 22-21 to Northwestern, Penn State fired head coach James Franklin after 12 seasons, leaving the team in a dilemma.
But Franklin’s departure isn’t the only major loss for the Nittany Lions, with Drew Allar also out for the season after suffering an injury late in the game. Now with six games left, Penn State is suddenly fighting for dignity after starting the year as favorites in the College Football Playoff.
But as proven by this very team, a lot can happen in a month. The Nittany Lions can rebound and find a way to win out, or at least finish the year heading to a bowl game. But even if Penn State finishes under .500, it still holds a strong run game, which could be the difference maker against Nebraska.
Kaytron Allen has only rushed for 194 yards in the last three games. But, it's been off 36 carries, leading to an average of over five yards per run. With Nebraska’s defense still failing to stop the run, Penn State could come in and deliver an old-school approach and win on the ground.
However, its defense has allowed over 31 points per Big Ten game, and with the Huskers’ offense averaging 33 points per Big Ten game, they stand a chance to win. But again, the Nittany Lions could buckle down and find ways to get a win. For now, though, this team sits at the bottom of the rankings until it shows what direction it’ll go.
5: Northwestern Wildcats (Oct. 25)
Northwestern’s upset over Penn State elevates itself from the bottom of the list. But at the same time, this win doesn’t hold much water now, considering the current state of the Nittany Lions. However, the Wildcats did come through in a bend-don’t-break, slow-and-steady game.
From winning time of possession by nearly 10 minutes, to forcing two turnovers, to even putting together a go-ahead touchdown drive in the end, Northwestern’s grit got them the win. With that said, 129 rushing yards on 39 carries and 163 passing yards on 17 completions is not always going to win games offensively.
The Wildcats’ defense holding Penn State to 137 yards passing on 13 completions and 137 yards rushing on 31 carries is notable. But this defense is going to face tougher competition with Nebraska and even Purdue.
If Northwestern can continue to control the clock and beat teams by slowing down the game, it can be a dangerous opponent. But if Nebraska’s offense continues to perform as well as it has, then the Wildcats may find themselves falling behind.
4: Minnesota Golden Gophers (Oct. 17)
Nebraska’s next opponent, Minnesota, defeated Purdue 27-20, but it was anything but easy. The Golden Gophers scored 10 points off turnovers, which included a game-winning pick-six. Minnesota picked off Ryan Browne three times in the win, two coming on the first play of the drive, the other being in the red zone.
This helped the Golden Gophers' defense compensate for allowing Purdue to finish with 456 yards of total offense. The Boilermakers tallied 203 passing yards on 21 completions and rushed for 253 yards on 40 carries. If not for the turnovers, Purdue would win this game.
Minnesota’s offense, meanwhile, played an uneven night. Drake Lindsey finished 21-of-45 for 232 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, with many of the Golden Gophers' drives not going anywhere. The outlier was Lindsey’s three-play, 75-yard drive to get Minnesota on the board in the second quarter.
But it wasn’t just Lindsey’s inconsistent night that plagued the Golden Gophers’ offense. The run game finished with 30 total yards, and Darius Taylor earned just 32 on 16 carries, with Lindsey suffering -2. Taylor was, however, Minnesota’s leading receiver in the win, finishing with six catches for 67 yards.
The main factor in the Golden Gophers’ win came from Purdue’s mistakes. Along with the turnovers, the Boilermakers missed a field goal and suffered nine penalties, all of them being crucial on offense and defense.
Though Nebraska also makes mistakes, it isn’t as severe as these, and with it being a short week, the Golden Gophers could be in trouble if they can’t rebound from this unbalanced win.
3: UCLA Bruins (Nov. 8)
UCLA carried its momentum over from the upset win against Penn State, blowing out Michigan State 38-13. The Bruins tallied 418 yards on offense while holding the Spartans to 253.
UCLA primarily struck on the ground, rushing for 238 yards and two touchdowns on 43 carries. Nico Iamaleava rarely took off downfield in the game and instead threw 16-of-24 for 180 yards and three touchdowns. But the Bruins' offense found success because Michigan State slipped up multiple times.
With that said, Michigan State also shot itself in the foot throughout the matchup, allowing for the Bruins to dominate the afternoon. The Spartans suffered three turnovers on downs, two of them occurring inside their own 35, giving UCLA prime real estate.
The Bruins scored on all three of those opportunities. With Michigan State also fumbling the ball on its own 32, UCLA only scored one touchdown on a drive that came off a punt. Quarterback Aidan Chiles also left the game following a controversial hit in the third, derailing any chance for a comeback, despite the Bruins being up 24-7.
Nebraska can limit its mistakes on offense and put up points against UCLA. But the Blackshirts must be ready for anything the Bruins throw at them. However, with UCLA facing Maryland and Indiana before going on a bye, it needs to keep up its momentum to give Nebraska an actual battle at the Rose Bowl.
2: Iowa Hawkeyes (Nov. 28)
The Hawkeyes didn’t need to do much on offense to wipe the floor with Wisconsin. Iowa’s defense snatched two interceptions on back-to-back drives, giving its offense the ball inside the 25-yard line each time. The Badgers fumbled the ball, which led to a field goal for the Hawkeyes, making the game 20-0 in the second quarter.
At that point, Wisconsin lost its fight, leading to two more touchdowns for Iowa in the second half and an eventual shutout. The Hawkeyes’ defense allowed 82 passing yards on eight completions and held the Badgers to 127 yards on 36 carries.
Though Nebraska will bring a better offense, it's hard to predict just what will occur on Black Friday. Iowa’s defense can slow down Nebraska, and the Blackshirts will likely do the same for the Hawkeyes’ offense. Much like past clashes between these teams, it comes down to which one will make more mistakes.
1: USC Trojans (Nov. 1)
The only ranked opponent on Nebraska’s schedule, the No. 20 Trojans stepped up after suffering a 34-32 last-second loss to Illinois. USC shut down Michigan’s run game, allowing just 109 yards on 31 carries, helping the Trojans pull away 31-13.
The main reason for this was due to slight slip-ups by the Wolverines, leading to drives stalling despite draining much of the clock. USC took advantage of this, scoring a touchdown in each quarter while Michigan struggled to get in the endzone.
The Trojans also got into the backfield, sacking Bryce Underwood three times and tallying five tackles for loss. USC also snatched two interceptions, one just outside the red zone when Michigan was down 21-7.
Jayden Maiava tossed 25-of-32 for 265 yards and two touchdowns, while freshman King Miller tallied 158 rushing yards and one touchdown on 18 carries. This once again shows the versatility of USC’s offense, making it all the more apparent just how dangerous this team is.
If USC deals with Notre Dame this week on both sides of the ball, Nebraska is in for its toughest game of the season come the first of November.
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This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: Ranking Nebraska's opponents for the second half of the 2025 season
Category: General Sports
