3 reasons Matt Rhule, Nebraska will deliver in year three

If you ask most Nebraska football fans what they expect this season, it’s eight or nine wins.

Some believe the Huskers can win more. Others less.

The truth is usually somewhere in the middle. With the Nebraska football program, though, the truth has been hard to find.

Yes, Nebraska has struggled to win. However, the Huskers have also performed better than their record suggests. Fans don’t want to hear that. There is no joy taken from being the “best 3-9 team ever.”

The Huskers should have won nine games last season. If two dropped passes or two bad snaps don’t happen, Nebraska is at least 9-4.

So, an eight or nine-win season doesn’t seem like a stretch, especially with Matt Rhule’s history of his teams taking a third-year leap. Baylor and Temple won a combined 21 games in Rhule’s second year with each program.

Eight wins feel like the minimum. The pitchforks won’t come out for eight wins. Nine would make people generally happy, while 10 would get them over the moon. So, how likely is that?

Here are three reasons a 10-win leap could happen for Nebraska football this season.

Dylan Raiola

Plenty of Nebraka fans were disappointed by Raiola last season, but for a freshman, the kid was more than adequate. He had a midseason slump, but he also didn’t have a real offensive coordinator until about Week 10.

Even with all of that, Raiola had Nebraska in position for game-winning kicks against Illinois and Iowa. Both times, the kicker missed, which came after touchdown passes were dropped.

The Wisconsin game (28-for-38, 293 yards) was a glimpse of what Raiola can do. If he can perform like that for an entire season, the Huskers will make the leap.

A manageable schedule

The schedule isn’t easy. Cincinnati isn’t a cupcake. There aren’t many guaranteed wins. There are plenty of winnable games and a few toss-ups.

If Nebraska just holds serves in Lincoln, beating teams like Michgan, Iowa, and USC, a playoff berth is possible. Beating Penn State on the road will be difficult, but if the Huskers win the 50/50 games at home, they could lose to UCLA and Penn State on the road and still probably make the 12-team playoff.

Matt Rhule said this offseason that this is “the team he’s been waiting for,” so anything less than eight wins would be a disappointment.

Upgraded coordinators

This Nebraska football team has more talent than it did in 2024. The quarterback will be better, the offensive line and receivers will be better, and the secondary will be, too. So will the pass rush.

More important than all of that, though, are the upgrades made to the coordinator spots. Dana Holgorsen took over at the end of last season.

Yet, having a full offseason to implement his system will make a big difference. John Butler will be an upgrade at defensive coordinator, especially on third down, and if Mike Ekeler makes Nebraska above-average on special teams, he deserves the Broyles Award.

Nebraska will be better in all three phases of the game than it was last season. Call me a Kool-Aid drinker if you must, but the Huskers will win at least nine games (counting bowl) in 2025.

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