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Nebraska finished the season ranked 25th in the Coaches Poll, and unranked (26th) in the AP Poll. Given the bottom of both polls, the Huskers and Washington Huskies switched places.
Given the way the season turned out, the injuries, and the defensive problems at the beginning, it's a decent surprise. It won't make angry Husker fans any less angry, if anything, it will fuel their fire giving them one more line item with which to compare this team to its predecessors.
The Big Ten ended the season with three teams ranked in the AP - #3 Michigan State, #12 Ohio State, and #22 Wisconsin, and four teams in the coaches poll - #3 Michigan State, #10 (tied) Ohio State, #21 Wisconsin, and #25 Nebraska.
AP Poll
| Ranking | School | Last Week |
| 1 | Florida State | 1 |
| 2 | Auburn | 2 |
| 3 | Michigan State | 4 |
| 4 | South Carolina | 8 |
| 5 | Missouri | 9 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 11 |
| 7 | Alabama | 3 |
| 8 | Clemson | 12 |
| 9 | Oregon | 10 |
| 10 | UCF | 15 |
| 11 | Stanford | 5 |
| 12 | Ohio State | 7 |
| 13 | Baylor | 6 |
| 14 | LSU | 14 |
| 15 | Louisville | 18 |
| 16 | UCLA | 17 |
| 17 | Oklahoma State | 13 |
| 18 | Texas A&M | 20 |
| 19 | USC | 26 |
| 20 | Notre Dame | 25 |
| 21 | Arizona State | 16 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | 19 |
| 23 | Duke | 22 |
| 24 | Vanderbilt | 29 |
| 25 | Washington | 33 |
Coaches Poll
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | FIRST PLACE VOTES | PREVIOUS RANK | CHANGE | HI/LOW* |
| 1 | Florida State Seminoles |
14-0 | 1475 | 59 | 1 | 1/10 | |
| 2 | Auburn Tigers |
12-2 | 1388 | 0 | 2 | 2/NR | |
| 3 | Michigan State Spartans |
13-1 | 1375 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3/NR |
| 4 | South Carolina Gamecocks |
11-2 | 1219 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 4/20 |
| 5 | Missouri Tigers |
12-2 | 1200 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 5/NR |
| 6 | Oklahoma Sooners |
11-2 | 1189 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 6/18 |
| 7 | Clemson Tigers |
11-2 | 1091 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 4/11 |
| 8 | Alabama Crimson Tide |
11-2 | 1086 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1/8 |
| 9 | Oregon Ducks |
11-2 | 975 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 2/12 |
| 10 | Stanford Cardinal |
11-3 | 872 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 4/13 |
| 10 | Ohio State Buckeyes |
12-2 | 872 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 2/10 |
| 12 | Central Florida Knights |
12-1 | 865 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 12/NR |
| 13 | Baylor Bears |
11-2 | 796 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 4/NR |
| 14 | LSU Tigers |
10-3 | 719 | 0 | 14 | 6/19 | |
| 15 | Louisville Cardinals |
12-1 | 703 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 6/17 |
| 16 | UCLA Bruins |
10-3 | 597 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 10/22 |
| 17 | Oklahoma State Cowboys |
10-3 | 587 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 6/20 |
| 18 | Texas A&M Aggies |
9-4 | 443 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 6/25 |
| 19 | USC Trojans |
10-4 | 313 | 0 | NR | 19/NR | |
| 20 | Arizona State Sun Devils |
10-4 | 302 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 13/NR |
| 21 | Wisconsin Badgers |
9-4 | 266 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 14/NR |
| 22 | Duke Blue Devils |
10-4 | 202 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 20/NR |
| 23 | Vanderbilt Commodores |
9-4 | 180 | 0 | NR | 23/NR | |
| 24 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
9-4 | 125 | 0 | NR | 13/NR | |
| 25 | Nebraska Cornhuskers |
9-4 | 123 | 0 | NR | 15/NR |
Others Receiving Votes:Washington 67; Fresno State 54; Northern Illinois 21; Marshall 17; Texas Tech 13; Kansas State 11; Mississippi 7; Texas 4; Miami (Fla.) 4; East Carolina 3; Cincinnati 3; Arizona 2; North Texas 2; Utah State 2; Navy 1; Louisiana-Lafayette 1.