The Nebraska Cornhuskers were 9-2 in 1981. They fell to the Clemson Tigers, 22 to 15, in the Orange Bowl.
| TEAM | CONF | OVERALL | |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7-0 | 9-3 | |
4-3 | 8-4 | ||
3-4 | 8-4 | ||
4-2-1 | 7-4-1 | ||
4-3 | 7-5 |
| GP | PTS | YDS | PLY | AVG | RUSH YDS | RUSH ATT | RUSH AVG | PASS YDS | PASS ATT | PASS AVG | SCK | SCKY | 1DWN | RUSH 1DWN | PASS 1DWN | PEN 1DWN | PEN | PEN YDS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | 11 | 349 | 4,812 | 842 | 5.7 | 3,635 | 661 | 5.5 | 1,177 | 181 | 6.5 | ||||||||
Team Rank | 8th | 6th | 19th | 8th | 2nd | 4th | 2nd | 117th | 124th | 58th | |||||||||
Opponent | 11 | 103 | 2,645 | 3.6 | 1,544 | 503 | 3.1 | 1,101 | 225 | 4.9 | |||||||||
Opponent Rank | 4th | 7th | 5th | 50th | 68th | 40th | 1st | 16th | 4th | ||||||||||
Net | +246 | +2,167 | +842 | +2.1 | +2,091 | +158 | +2.4 | +76 | -44 | +1.6 | |||||||||
Net Rank | 2nd | 1st | 19th | 1st | 2nd | 15th | 2nd | 55th | 87th | 16th |
| Big 10 | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | 0 | 1.000 | |
| 2 | 11 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Independent | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 2 | .818 | |
| 2 | 9 | 3 | .750 |
| Pac-12 | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 9 | .182 | |
| 2 | 5 | 6 | .455 |
| Mountain West | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 2 | .818 | |
| 2 | 7 | 4 | .636 |
| Big 12 | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 1 | .909 | |
| 2 | 10 | 1 | .909 |
| American Athletic | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 2 | .818 | |
| 2 | 10 | 1 | .909 |
| Mid-American | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 4 | .667 | |
| 2 | 7 | 4 | .636 |
| Conference USA | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 4 | .636 | |
| 2 | 8 | 3 | .727 |
| Sun Belt | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 1 | .909 | |
| 2 | 8 | 3 | .727 |