Nebraska Insider Upset as Matt Rhule & Co. Suffer Unexplainable AP Poll Blow

Nebraska fans walked out of Memorial Stadium on Saturday night with grins wider than O-line splits. Their Huskers didn’t just beat Akron. They bulldozed them off the field 68–0 in one of the most lopsided wins this program has seen in decades. Dylan Raiola looked every bit like the five-star savior. Emmett Johnson ran like he had turbo boosters strapped to his cleats. The defense was so stingy you’d think they were charging rent for every yard. But here’s the kicker: the AP Poll still slammed the door in Matt Rhule‘s face.

Wilson Dittman, a plugged-in Nebraska insider, wasn’t shy about calling it out on X. After all, how do you hang 728 yards, your biggest yardage haul since 2014, pitch your first shutout since 2009, and still sit outside the Top 25? Dittman wrote bluntly, “Nebraska stays at #35 in the AP Poll going into Week 3. They went from 13 to 10 votes, 3 less after their shutout win vs Akron.” Cornhusker Nation felt the sting. It’s one thing to get overlooked. It’s another to get penalized for flexing harder than anyone else in the country.

Saturday was a symphony of 80s-90s Nebraska. Raiola completed 24 of 31 passes for 364 yards and 4 touchdowns, setting a school record with 20 straight completions. Emmett Johnson exploded for 140 and three scores on just 14 carries. Even Jacory Barney Jr. got in on the action, stacking up 219 all-purpose yards. And for good measure, Nebraska emptied the bench. 108 players saw snaps.

And let’s not forget the cherry on top. Tight end Luke Lindenmeyer scored his 1st career touchdown in the game. Afterwards he went and proposed to his girlfriend on the field. Imagine that: a 68–0 beatdown and a marriage proposal under the stadium lights. Nebraska fans went home with stories their grandkids will hear about someday.

But here’s the problem. National voters don’t seem to care. Nebraska sits behind teams like Arizona State, BYU, South Florida, and USC. The Huskers have been hanging around the “receiving votes” category since August like the last kid waiting to get picked in gym class. They’re now 35th in the AP Poll, 38th in the coaches poll, and no closer to cracking the rankings despite having the largest margin of victory in program history since 1982.

It’s a slap in the face for a fanbase that watched 8 different Big Ten squads collect poll votes this week. Ohio State and Penn State sit pretty at Nos. 1 and 2, Oregon is No. 4, Illinois at 9 and even Michigan, who took an L against Brent Venables Sooners are getting their flowers. Meanwhile, Nebraska just threw down the type of game that makes SportsCenter highlights for weeks, and still got iced out.

AP Poll Snub Fuels Nebraska’s Fire

So what gives? Part of it is branding. The AP Poll loves teams with preseason hype and shiny résumés. Michigan is only there because of its branding. The Wolverines are literally the imposter in that ranking list.

Nebraska’s rebuild under Matt Rhule has been steady, but they don’t carry the national weight of programs like Georgia or Alabama. Blowing out Akron doesn’t move the needle because voters chalk it up to “just Akron.” The frustration is real because this wasn’t an ordinary win. The 68 points were Nebraska’s highest single-game total since 2007, and the 728 yards ranked eighth in school history.

The defense suffocated Akron, forcing multiple three-and-outs, a safety, and kept them under 200 total yards. That’s domination on every level, the type of performance that shows you’re not just a “receiving votes” team. With the Michigan Wolverines game coming up in Week 4, Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers could finally sneak into the Top 25 with a statement win.