Last week for Friday Flakes I wrote that it might be a good time for Nebraska to give Matt Rhule a new extension. One of the main reasons was the possibility of the Penn State job opening up. What I did
not expect is that it would open up two days later.
On Monday Matt Rhule had his usual meeting with the Nebraska media and while he addressed the opening there was really nothing in it that made me feel better. The line about his wife choosing where they live was probably the best nugget that I could hold on to.
To be clear, I think Matt Rhule is the man for the Nebraska job. While Nebraska started 5-1 last season just like this season I can tell when a football program is improving. That fact remains even if Nebraska loses to Minnesota tonight. After spending almost two decades in college football purgatory, I want the Nebraska train to keep going and Matt Rhule is the man to do that. I don’t want to start again with a new coach.
Thus that would be the source of my “anxiety.” It isn’t real life anxiety, it is just college football fan anxiety.
Yesterday, Matt Rhule made his weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee show on ESPN. He was asked about the Penn State job and his answer made me feel much better although that could all completely change by the end of the season.
Here is his answer:
“This (Nebraska) is not a jumping off job. This is a destination job. This is one of the greatest places in the world. This is a town of 300,000 people…I can do whatever I want here. I have a great young team, the youngest team in the Big Ten. Just think how good we will be next year. Now I’m not thinking about next year. But where we are right now. We are learning, learning, learning. Think about where we are going to go with Dyland and all these guys. I refuse to be distracted. At the same time I love my alma mater. You have to show it love and respect. I love Pat Kraft and they’ll find the right coach for them, whoever that is. But this is a destination job that should be a national bully. A beast and I think we are on our way to doing that.”
The three (college) places we have been. We have spent a couple years building the culture up and getting the football right and I’ve always left afterwards. For me I’m like I’m going all in on this place (Nebraska). We can make this whatever we want.”
You can never absolutely trust what a coach says in these situations but at least for right now I’m feeling better about it.
SPORTS! SPORTS! JORTS! SPORTS! SPORTS!
Nebraska vs. Minnesota: Keys to victory, HuskerOnline score predictions for Friday
Nebraska (5-1, 2-1) will try to win back-to-back weeks on the road for the first time since 2006 when they travel to Minnesota (4-2, 2-1) on Friday.
As things get closer to kickoff, here are today’s keys to victory for the Huskers against the Gophers, along with the HuskerOnline Week 8 score predictions.
NU enters today’s match-up as a 7-point favorite over Minnesota, and the game will kick off at 7 p.m. CT on FOX.
The Rally: Nebraska heads to Michigan to battle Spartans, Wolverines
No. 1 Nebraska volleyball (16-0, 6-0) is heading to the state of Michigan to face its Big Ten teams. Husker outside hitter Harper Murray and setter Campbell Flynn also return to their home state.
The Huskers face Michigan State (14-2, 4-2) on Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. CT in East Lansing, Mich. NU travels to Ann Arbor, Mich. to battle Michigan on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. CT. Both matches are on B1G+.
Nebraska football bowl projections heading into week eight
Nebraska sits one game shy of securing bowl eligibility as the Big Red heads to Minneapolis to take on Minnesota.
The Huskers are in the midst of a key stretch of games in October that will determine the direction of their season. Following Nebraska’s win over Maryland last week, there seems to be growing consensus that Nebraska will be headed to Florida for its bowl matchup.
Here’s where things stand for bowl projections heading into week eight of the college football season:
Nebraska-Minnesota: What we’re looking for and final predictions
Nebraska football hits the road once again — this time on a short week — seeking its second road win in as many weeks against Minnesota on Friday night.
The Huskers are coming off a come-from-behind win over Maryland on the road last week, and will be looking to lock up bowl eligibility on Friday night against the Golden Gophers.
Nebraska is 5-1 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten Conference play after a dramatic 34-31 comeback victory at Maryland on Saturday. The victory pushed Nebraska into the national polls for the first time this season. NU is ranked No. 25 in the AP poll and is just outside of the top 25 in the Coaches Poll. This week against the Gophers, Nebraska will look for back-to-back road victories in consecutive weeks for the first time since 2006, and a win would give Nebraska its first 6-1 start since winning its first seven games in 2016.
Portal Buzz: Under-the-radar transfers plus former blue-chip QBs who could be on the move
So much of the offseason attention on the transfer portal falls on the most high-profile acquisitions, but good teams are built on smart evaluations and finding players who aren’t at the top of every list or ranking.
Who were some of the key under-the-radar portal finds that have paid off so far in 2025? We asked four personnel staffers for their picks to lead off the latest edition of Portal Buzz.
