With the summer session underway, ESPN has revealed its first Football Power Index (FPI) Top 25 of the 2025 college football season. The Nebraska Cornhuskers have cracked the list, ranked 25th.
The Football Power Index (FPI) is a ‘measure of team strength designed to be the best predictor of a team’s performance for the remainder of the season.’ Nebraska has a projected 2025 win-loss record of 7.5-4.5 with a 1.5% chance to win the Big Ten Conference and a 10.3% chance to qualify for the College Football Playoff.
Nebraska finished the 2024 season with a 7-6 record, its first season finishing over .500 since 2016, and capped the season off by winning the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl over Boston College. The Huskers ended a bowl-game drought that started in 2016 as well.
Nebraska enters the 2025 season after an almost complete overhaul to its coaching staff, with significant changes in all three phases of the game. This includes the first full season with offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, who joined the staff for the final four games of the 2024 season.
His addition was highlighted by a 44-25 victory over Wisconsin. In the win, the Huskers scored their highest point total since 2021, while their total offense (473), rushing offense (180), and passing offense (293) outputs were all the second-best of the 2024 season.
Other changes include promoting John Butler to replace Tony White as defensive coordinator. White left Nebraska prior to the bowl game to accept the same job at Florida State.
Butler joined the Cornhuskers before the 2024 season as a secondary coach after holding the same position with the Buffalo Bills since 2022. He stepped down from his post with the Bills in February 2024, citing a desire to become a defensive coordinator, and his decision paid off.
The other significant change was the hiring of Mike Ekeler as special teams coordinator, who spent the last four seasons at Tennessee. Ekeler’s special teams unit excelled during his time in Knoxville. In all four seasons, Tennessee ranked first or second in the SEC in punt return average.
Last season, the Volunteers ranked ninth in the country, averaging 15.7 yards per return. In 2024, Nebraska was one of the worst punt return teams in the nation, ranking 110th with an average of 4.87 yards.
Nebraska will open the 2025 college football season on Thursday, August 28, when the Huskers face the Cincinnati Bearcats at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The kickoff time has not been determined yet.
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