Anonymous Big Ten coaches have questioned the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ chances in 2026, saying the program is in denial. According to the coaches, the loss of quarterback Dylan Raiola to Oregon via the transfer portal could do long-lasting damage to the Cornhuskers.
The coaches spoke to Athlon Sports about the situation that Matt Rhule is going into in his fourth season in charge of the Big Ten program:
“They’re in a ton of denial with the quarterback situation. Dylan Raiola is as good as they get as a player and as a person; losing him, I thought he was their last hope. He was the pin that was holding that thing together.
“I don’t imagine they’re gonna do anything special. I think five wins, maybe six wins at the most (this) year. If they hit seven, I’d be shocked.”
Rhule was only able to procure three-star transfer Anthony Colandrea from the UNLV Rebels as a replacement for Raiola. Despite his poor rating as a transfer, he did win the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year Award at UNLV in 2025.
Rhule has compiled an unflattering 19-19 record in three years in Lincoln. After a 5-6 record in his first season, he posted back-to-back 7-6 seasons. Some experts argue this is a make-or-break season for him.
He won the Pinstripe Bowl in the 2024 season.
Matt Rhule on the pressure of coaching at Nebraska
In an interview this Sunday with Adam Breneman, Matt Rhule opened up about what he feels is the pressure of coaching in a former blue-blood program like Nebraska, whose best years seem to be long forgotten:
“I think when you’re the head coach in Nebraska and you walk by five national championship trophies, when you walk by three Heisman trophies, when you feel the urgency of the state that takes so much pride in their football team – (there’s) a tremendous not burden in a bad way, but a tremendous burden to be quite honest, to bring that level of football back,” Rhule said during the podcast.
“To bring that level of pride in what it means to be a Nebraskan, to be a Husker – back. So I think I felt that on that first day.”
He admitted that Nebraska is further away from becoming competitive than he expected when he took up the job in 2023, but that they’re further along the ladder of progress than they were back then.
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