The Huskers finished 24th in the final Associated Press college football poll of the regular season and 21st in the final Coaches Poll. The rankings were released Sunday.
NU, which posted a 9-3 record, fell one spot from its AP ranking last week but moved up one spot in the Coaches Poll.
Meanwhile, Alabama, ranked No. 1 in both polls, heads into the postseason with a chance to become the third wire-to-wire champion in the history of the AP Poll. The Crimson Tide has been ranked first since the preseason and received all 61 first-place votes in the final AP rankings. The team also earned all 58 first-place votes in the Coaches Poll.
Four Big Ten teams were ranked in the Top 10 and six in the overall Top 25 of both polls. Ohio State was No. 2, Penn State No. 5, Michigan No. 6 and Wisconsin No. 8 in both. Iowa was ranked 21st in AP and 25th in the Coaches Poll.
Alabama enters the postseason looking to win back-to-back championships and to join Florida State in 1999 and Southern California in 2004 as the only teams to be AP No. 1 from start to finish. The Crimson Tide also would be the 12th team to win two straight AP championships.
This article includes material from the Associated Press.
The AP Top 25
Rank, Team, (First-place votes), Record, Points
1. Alabama: (61), 13-0, 1,525
2. Ohio St.: 11-1, 1,444
3. Clemson: 12-1 1,396
4. Washington: 12-1 1,329
5. Penn St.: 11-2 1,252
6. Michigan: 10-2 1,249
7. Oklahoma: 10-2 1,173
8. Wisconsin: 10-3 1,054
9. Southern Cal: 9-3 1,040
10. Florida St.: 9-3 889
11. Colorado: 10-3 886
12. W. Michigan: 13-0 871
13. Oklahoma St.: 9-3 800
14. West Virginia: 10-2 788
15. Louisville: 9-3 542
16. Stanford: 9-3 508
17. Auburn: 8-4 493
18. Virginia Tech: 9-4 372
19. LSU: 7-4 351
20. Florida: 8-4 331
21. Iowa: 8-4 272
22. Pittsburgh: 8-4 237
23. Temple: 10-3 229
24. Nebraska: 9-3 196
25. South Florida: 10-2 173
Others receiving votes: Houston 101, Utah 99, Boise St. 95, Washington St. 31, Texas A&M 26, Air Force 20, Navy 15, Tennessee 12, San Diego St. 8, W. Kentucky 7, Miami 6, Georgia Tech 3, Kansas St. 2.
Coaches Poll
Rank, Team, (First-place votes), Record, Points
1. Alabama: (64), 12-0, 1,600
2. Ohio State: 11-1, 1,520
3. Clemson: 11-1, 1,475
4. Washington: 11-1, 1,388
5. Wisconsin: 10-2, 1,298
6. Michigan: 10-2, 1,265
7. Oklahoma: 9-2, 1,223
8. Penn State: 10-2, 1,156
9. Colorado: 10-2, 1,116
10. Oklahoma State: 9-2, 1,018
11. Southern California: 9-3, 965
12. Florida State: 9-3, 902
13. West Virginia: 9-2, 814
14. Western Michigan: 12-0, 659
15. Louisville: 9-3, 554
16. Florida: 8-3, 515
17. Stanford: 9-3, 474
18. Virginia Tech: 9-3, 467
19. Auburn: 8-4, 442
20. Navy: 9-2, 380
21. LSU: 7-4, 315
22. Nebraska: 9-3, 309
23. South Florida: 10-2, 237
24. Utah: 8-4, 159
25. Iowa: 8-4, 114
Others receiving votes: Boise State 93; Houston 58; Pittsburgh 56; Washington State 44; Miami (Fla.) 34; Texas A&M 34; Temple 26; Tennessee 23; San Diego State 18; Air Force 12; Georgia Tech 9; North Carolina 9; Minnesota 6; Tulsa 5; Appalachian State 3; Western Kentucky 2; Middle Tennessee 1; Troy 1; Wyoming 1.