Sporting News recently released a ranking that placed Nebraska’s 1995 football team at the pinnacle of college football history, labeling it the greatest squad since the sport’s inception in 1886. The assessment came from a panel of twenty veteran voters who evaluated teams across more than a century of play.
Unanimous Acclaim
The Cornhuskers not only topped the list but did so with unanimous support, appearing on every ballot and accumulating 369 votes. Their dominance was underscored by an average margin of victory of at least fourteen points and a scoring average of 52.4 points per game, figures that still rank among the most prolific in the game’s annals.
That season the team rushed for nearly 400 yards per contest, converting seven yards on each carry, and featured a backfield that produced seven players with at least three hundred rushing yards. Defensively, Nebraska limited opponents to just 13.6 points per game, a testament to a unit that complemented the explosive offense.
A Legacy of Legends
The roster reads like a hall of fame roll call, featuring All‑Americans such as Tommie Frazier, Aaron Graham and Jared Tomich, alongside future NFL stars Ahman Green, Lawrence Phillips, Grant Wistrom, Rich Glover, Willie Harper, Larry Jacobson and Johnny Rodgers. Their individual accolades and collective impact helped cement the 1995 squad’s place in the conversation for the sport’s all‑time greats.
The ranking also acknowledged the 1971 team, which secured a sixth‑place finish with 204 votes and a solitary first‑place ballot. That squad, which claimed back‑to‑back national championships, posted a 39.1‑point scoring average while surrendering only 8.2 points, further illustrating Nebraska’s historic pedigree.