Matt Rhule has made things better at Nebraska, to say the least. Maybe the Cornhuskers aren’t the Big Ten title contender many fans want, but they’re a team that is winning. That may not be enough. The Cornhuskers could be in a challenging position if they have to discover that the grass isn’t greener on the other side. Matt Rhule could be interested in the Penn State job; he left the door open in his recent press conference.
In our Big Ten Football Roundtable, the writers at Trojans Wire and UCLA Wire debate whether Nebraska fans should want Rhule to stay or leave. Here are each of our thoughts on Rhule’s popularity in Nebraska:
Editor Matt Zemek
I go back and forth on this one. On one hand, Rhule is slowly improving Nebraska. On the other hand, Rhule is slowly improving Nebraska. The word “slowly” is hard to ignore. Nebraska is not especially close to Ohio State, Indiana, or Oregon. The USC game later this season might tell me if Rhule is worth keeping for the Huskers. I’m on the fence at this point. Convince me.
Trojans Wire Writer Micah Huff
Matt Rhule is the best thing that could have happened to Nebraska. He has turned this football program into a competitive team in the Big Ten. The Cornhuskers are about to have their best season since 2016. Losing him will turn Nebraska back to being irrelevant. I do not know too many available coaches who would take this job and could do a better job than Rhule.
Trojans Wire Writer Ethan Inman
No way! Matt Rhule is everything the typical Nebraska fan wants in a coach. He is setting a firm foundation with the Cornhuskers, gradually rebuilding it brick by brick. He got them back to their first bowl game since 2016 last season and they are almost certainly going to be bowl bound again this year. But I don’t think Nebraska is just going to be bowl bound or better than last year in 2025. I think that they are going to compete for a College Football Playoff appearance deep into the season and be ranked for several weeks. With Dylan Raiola, who has quietly been one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten, set to return in 2026, Huskers fans have every reason to believe they could compete for a Big Ten and National title next season. Why would they want to give that up? For a potential, slight upgrade?
Trojans Wire Writer Adam Bradford
Rhule has been at Nebraska for less than three years. The jury is still very much out on him there. That being said, this is not the 90s anymore, and I think that it would be very difficult for Nebraska to find someone who could do significantly better than what Rhule is doing there.
UCLA Wire Writer Ryan Lorenz
No. Rhule has been successful for the Cornhuskers and they are currently sitting with a 5-1 overall record and the only loss coming from a three-point loss to Michigan. They haven’t been the most high profile college football team, so it doesn’t seem like Nebraska fans would be outraged if he left. In all honesty though, the grass might not be greener on the other side if he does depart.
UCLA Wire Writer Dylan McNeill
Nebraska is 5-1 and ranked No. 25 in the country so Cornhusker fans shouldn’t be wanting Rhule to leave too quickly, but I feel as if the success is just moderate enough for fans to not mind him departing either. Feeling neutral doesn’t seem dramatic enough for college football, but I think Nebraska could get similar results with a new head coach.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Big Ten Football Roundtable: Should Nebraska fans want Rhule to stay?
Reporting by Micah Huff, Adam Bradford, Ethan Inman and Matt Zemek, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
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