2017 Nebraska
4–8 (3–6 Big Ten), coached by Mike Riley. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Illinois 28–6Sep 29
By 22 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingLost to Northwestern 24–31Nov 4
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | vs Arkansas State | W 43–36 | 60% |
| Sep 9 | at Oregon | L 35–42 | 50% |
| Sep 16 | vs Northern Illinois | L 17–21 | 66% |
| Sep 23 | vs Rutgers | W 27–17 | 77% |
| Sep 29 | at Illinois | W 28–6 | 55% |
| Oct 7 | vs 9Wisconsin | L 17–38 | 37% |
| Oct 14 | vs 9Ohio State | L 14–56 | 33% |
| Oct 28 | at Purdue | W 25–24 | 51% |
| Nov 4 | vs Northwestern | L 24–31 | 49% |
| Nov 11 | at Minnesota | L 21–54 | 42% |
| Nov 18 | at 13Penn State | L 44–56 | 15% |
| Nov 24 | vs Iowa | L 14–56 | 43% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Iowa 56–14; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 9th in the Big Ten.
In program history: The 111th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 129 on file).
- Record
- 4–8
- Conference
- 3–6 tied for 9th in Big Ten
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 309–437
- Coach
- Mike Riley
- Elo
- 1446 −115 this season
- SP+ rating
- 2.5 No. 62 of 128; offense No. 85, defense No. 40, special teams No. 44
- SRS
- 0.1 No. 66 of 130 in FBS
- Returning
- 19% of last season’s EPA, No. 126 of 128
- Recruiting class
- No. 23 roster talent No. 29 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Danny Langsdorf
- Defensive coordinator
- Bob Diaco
- Offense
- Multiple
- Defense
- 3–4
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.01 | 40% | 1.25 | 104th of 130 |
| Defense | 0.22 | 51% | 1.07 | 116th of 130 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.07 off 0.20 def | 43% off 49% def | — | 76th off 121st def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.6 | own 30 | 19% allowed |
| Defense | 4.1 | own 31 | 13% caused |
CORE rating -5.9, 89th of 130 (offense 2.2, defense 8.1).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Tanner Lee QB | 3,143 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Tanner Lee QB | 23 TD |
| Rushing yards | Devine Ozigbo RB | 493 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Mikale Wilbon RB | 6 TD |
| Receiving yards | Stanley Morgan Jr. WR | 986 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Stanley Morgan Jr. WR | 10 TD |
| Tackles | Chris Weber LB | 87 tkl |
| Sacks | Ben Stille DL | 3.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Aaron Williams DB | 2 INT |
Top recruits in the 2017 class
| Tyjon Lindsey WR | ★★★★ | No. 50 |
| Elijah Blades CB | ★★★★ | No. 133 |
| Avery Roberts ILB | ★★★★ | No. 173 |
| Tristan Gebbia PRO | ★★★★ | No. 200 |
| Jaevon McQuitty WR | ★★★★ | No. 298 |
| Keyshawn Johnson WR | ★★★★ | No. 330 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2017 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 4.0 | 0.922 |
| Running backs | 2 | 3.0 | 0.841 |
| Receivers | 5 | 3.6 | 0.896 |
| Offensive line | 4 | 3.0 | 0.862 |
| Defensive line | 4 | 3.0 | 0.875 |
| Linebackers | 3 | 3.3 | 0.879 |
| Defensive backs | 1 | 4.0 | 0.940 |
| Whole class | 20 | 3.3 | 0.881 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2018
The 2018 draft| Rd 6 | Tanner Lee QB | Jacksonville Jaguars |
Roster 122
The 2017 roster122 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2017 line; 56 have a stat line. See the roster
All-Big Ten
1 second teamSecond team
Stanley Morgan Jr.WRCoaches-2; Media-2
From Wikipedia’s 2017 all-conference team article, with the selectors that named each player (AP-1: the Associated Press’s first team).
2017 Big Ten standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 9–0 | 13–1 | 7 |
| Ohio State | 8–1 | 12–2 | 5 |
| Penn State | 7–2 | 11–2 | 8 |
| Northwestern | 7–2 | 10–3 | 17 |
 Michigan State | 7–2 | 10–3 | 15 |
 Michigan | 5–4 | 8–5 | |
| Iowa | 4–5 | 8–5 | |
| Purdue | 4–5 | 7–6 | |
| Rutgers | 3–6 | 4–8 | |
 Nebraska | 3–6 | 4–8 | |
| Minnesota | 2–7 | 5–7 | |
 Indiana | 2–7 | 5–7 | |
 Maryland | 2–7 | 4–8 | |
| Illinois | 0–9 | 2–10 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.