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Will third-year magic translate to Nebraska for Matt Rhule?
Matt Rhule is entering his third season as Nebraska football head coach, and with his track record at Baylor and Temple, expectations are high.
In his first college head coaching job with Temple, Rhule took an Owls team that won two games in 2013 and won 10 in 2015.
After taking over at Baylor, a program riddled with sanctions in 2017, the Bears won 11 games in Rhule's third season (2019), reaching the Big 12 Championship Game.
Rhule was hired away to coach the Carolina Panthers before eventually being fired. Some coaches are better in college. He seems like one of them, but after 12 wins in his first two seasons, Nebraska football fans are expecting more in 2025. A lot more.
The Huskers haven't won a conference championship since 1999. They haven't played for a championship since 2012. It's been a long time coming.
Nebraska won seven games in the first season with Dylan Raiola, a former five-star quarterback, as the starter. There were ups and downs, but the Huskers ended a seven-year bowl drought with their first winning season since 2016.
A victory in the Pinstripe Bowl gave Nebraska its first bowl win since 2015, nearly a decade. It's been a staggering fall, yet Rhule has the program trending in the right direction.
60 percent of the recruits signed in the 2025 class were rated as blue-chip players, according to 247 Sports.
Nebraska also landed several key players from the transfer portal, including SEC starters Dane Key, a wideout from Kentucky, and Elijah Pritchett, a projected first-round pick at left tackle from Alabama.
The Huskers also landed a starting O-lineman from Notre Dame's national title team (Rocco Spindler), and former five-star DE, Williams Nwaneri, who transferred from Missouri.
This offseason, Rhule said, "This is the team I've been waiting for."
Nebraska football has quite possibly the best passing quarterback it has ever had in Raiola. At least in terms of pure talent.
The wide receiver room is elite, and with Dana Holgorsen, the former Houston head coach, calling the plays, the offense should take a huge step forward.
There are some red flags with Rhule, such as his 2-22 record against top-25 teams, according to 247 Sports. Nebraska is also 3-10 in the past two seasons in games decided by eight points or less.
Special teams were a big culprit in that. Missed field goals due to bad snaps cost Nebraska wins against Illinois and Iowa.
So, Rhule hired former Husker assistant coach Mike Ekeler to fix the special teams, after having one of the best units in the country the past few seasons at Tennessee.
With all that in mind, the table is set for Nebraska to win nine, maybe even 10 games, and contend for the College Football Playoff.
The three most difficult games are Michigan at home, plus Penn State and USC on the road, which is extremely manageable.
Eight or nine wins would likely make Nebraska fans happy, but if Rhule is going to live up to his reputation as an elite college football head coach, a double-digit win season is in order, especially with this roster.
More must-reads:
- Gauging the heat on these 10 college football coaches
- UCF's Scott Frost makes big admission about disastrous Nebraska tenure
- The '2023 NFL AP second-team All-Pro' quiz
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