| Year: | 1988 |
| Team: | Nebraska Cornhuskers |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Big Eight Conference |
| Short Conf: | Big 8 |
| Coachrank: | 10 |
| Aprank: | 10 |
| Record: | 11–2 |
| Conf Record: | 7–0 |
| Head Coach: | Tom Osborne |
| Hc Year: | 16th |
| Def Coach: | Charlie McBride |
| Dc Year: | 8th |
| Off Scheme: | I formation |
| Def Scheme: | 3–4 |
| Stadium: | Memorial Stadium |
| Champion: | Big 8 champion |
| Bowl: | Orange Bowl |
| Bowl Result: | L 3–23 vs. Miami (FL) |
The 1988 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.
See also: Nebraska–Oklahoma football rivalry.
See also: 1988 NCAA Division I-A football rankings.
| Award | Name(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| All-America 1st team | Broderick Thomas, Jake Young | |
| Big 8 coach of the Year | Tom Osborne | |
| Big 8 Defensive Player of the Year | Broderick Thomas | |
| Big 8 Defensive Newcomer of the Year | Bruce Pickens | |
| All-Big 8 1st team | Dana Brinson, Ken Clark, LeRoy Etienne, Charles Fryar, Willie Griffin, Tim Jackson, Andy Keeler, Todd Millikan, Lawrence Pete, Bob Sledge, Steve Taylor, Broderick Thomas, Jake Young | |
| All-Big 8 2nd team | Reggie Cooper, Doug Glaser | |
| All-Big 8 honorable mention | Richard Bell, Mark Blazek, Chris Caliendo, Bryan Carpenter, Morgan Gregory, John Kroeker, Jeff Mills, John Nelson |
The following Nebraska players who participated in the 1988 season later moved on to the next level and joined a professional or semi-pro team as draftees or free agents.[4]
| Name | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| Richard Bell | Pittsburgh Steelers | |
| Dana Brinson | San Diego Chargers | |
| Pete Buchanan | Toronto Argonauts | |
| Ken Clark | Indianapolis Colts | |
| Reggie Cooper | Dallas Cowboys | |
| Mike Croel | Denver Broncos | |
| LeRoy Etienne | San Francisco 49ers | |
| Tim Jackson | Dallas Cowboys | |
| Keith Jones | Cleveland Browns | |
| Jeff Mills | San Diego Chargers | |
| Lawrence Pete | Detroit Lions | |
| Bruce Pickens | Atlanta Falcons | |
| Tim Rother | Los Angeles Raiders | |
| Joe Sims | Atlanta Falcons | |
| Steve Taylor | Edmonton Eskimos | |
| Broderick Thomas | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |
| Nate Turner | Buffalo Bills | |
| Kenny Walker | Denver Broncos | |
| Kent Wells | New York Giants |