The Fallout: Nebraska football finally ranked, Matt Rhule rumors, and more

James Franklin getting fired six games into the season wasn’t on my bingo card. But it happened, and Nebraska football fans have been doing some hand-wringing ever since.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic mentioned Matt Rhule as one of the top candidates. He’s not alone. It’s kind of the elephant in the room right now.

However, I wouldn’t be too worried.

This scenario could drag on. Even if Rhule was going to take the job, he wouldn’t do it in the middle of a season, with a team that just got ranked in the AP Top 25.

That got lost in all of this. The Huskers are ranked 25th in the AP poll, a spot behind Cincinnati. Nebraska football is also receiving votes in the Coaches Poll (27th most).

Penn State is Rhule’s alma mater. It makes sense that he would be interested. Yet, he seems to love Nebraska. I mean, really love Nebraska.

That feels genuine. All things being equal, Penn State probably is a better job. Yet, I’ve never thought that Rhule would leave for Penn State, at least not in his third season at Nebraska. I don’t see Curt Cignetti, another top candidate via the pundits, leaving either.

These coaching searches get crazy. So buckle up unless Rhule emphatically denies any interest on Monday, which is what I’d expect him to.

Overlooked in all of this was a come-from-behind win for Nebraska — the first of its kind in almost a decade. That’s what Nebraska fans should be focused on. That and the Huskers beating Minnesota.

Nebraska volleyball sweep streak continues

The top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team played 12th-ranked Purdue on the road Sunday, yet barely broke a sweat in a three-set sweep of Purdue (25-23, 25-16, 25-15).

Purdue hit .186. That was actually one of the better percentages allowed by Nebraska recently. The Huskers also swept Rutgers on Friday night, thanks to a 12-kill effort from Harper Murray.

Murray looked like the Big Ten Player of the Year on Sunday, with 16 kills, two blocks, and two aces. She also hit .640. Andi Jackson added 12 kills to go along with a .450 hitting percentage.

The most impressive thing is that the win over Purdue was the seventh consecutive sweep for the Huskers, who haven’t dropped a set since September 16.