Matt Rhule taken out of context over 40-team playoff

Matt Rhule always seems to find a way to give the national media talking points, and the Nebraska football head coach has done it again.

In an interview with Husker Online, Rhule made a comment, which seemed off the cuff, about playoff expansion, joking about it expanding to 40 teams.

“The more spots, the better. Let’s make that thing 40, man. Let’s go,” Rhule said.

On3 loves to take Rhule out of context for clicks 🥱🤨 https://t.co/98HTT333Rr pic.twitter.com/GTOMW89kxG

— Rhuler of Husker Nation (@RHULEROFNEB) May 21, 2025

The only problem is that Rhule was clearly joking if you listen to the interview. On3 ran with it, of course, posting a graphic soon after, and also coming out with what a 40-team College Football Playoff would have looked like in 2024.

Kudos to them for their quickness. That’s impressive, but it’s clear with the way that Rhule laughed when he said it that it was a joke.

For the record, Nebraska football would have made the 40-team College Football Playoff in 2024, if we are to take Matt Rhule seriously. He was clearly joking, though, with two local media guys he does interviews with on a frequent basis.

It shows how little there is to talk about in terms of national college football right now. Outside of recruiting and preseason predictions, we are in a lull for college football. That will change soon, and Nebraska fans will have plenty to follow on the recruiting trail over the summer.

Still, it’s annoying to see Rhule taken out of context.

For More Nebraska content, follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook Page, and Subscribe to the Husker Big Red YouTube Channel. You can also find our podcast on Apple or Spotify.