LINCOLN, NE — Entering his fourth season with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, head coach Matt Rhule faces a defining year. However, national confidence in a dramatic Year 4 jump is wearing thin, as On3 analyst Ari Wasserman recently ranked Rhule squarely in the bottom half of the conference at No. 10 in his Big Ten head coach rankings.
Wasserman’s critique cuts directly to the bone of Rhule’s reputation as a program fixer, noting that his previous legendary turnarounds at Temple and Baylor always happened by Year 3. At Nebraska, Rhule is coming off a modest seven-win season and saw his momentum stall following the injury and eventual transfer of high-profile quarterback Dylan Raiola to Oregon.
Big Ten Coach Rankings (Snapshot)
- #1 Curt Cignetti (Indiana) – Elite start to his tenure.
- #2 Ryan Day (Ohio State) – Perennial powerhouse.
- #3 Dan Lanning (Oregon) – Maintaining elite status.
- #4 Kyle Whittingham (Michigan) – Immediate top-tier respect.
- #5 Kirk Ferentz (Iowa) – Ultimate model of stability.
- #10 Matt Rhule (Nebraska) – Stuck in the bottom half.
The path forward and a massive gamble at QB
While Husker defenders argue that the modern Big Ten is a much harder meat grinder to rebuild in than Rhule’s previous stops, the head coach has made self-inflicted missteps in the quarterback room.
To counter the narrative and jumpstart the offense, Rhule has pushed all his chips to the center of the table on UNLV transfer Anthony Colandrea.
The senior signal-caller had a phenomenal 2025 campaign, throwing for 3,459 yards and 23 touchdowns. Rhule is betting big that Colandrea’s dual-threat dynamism can mask offensive line rebuilds and limit the costly turnovers that derailed Nebraska a year ago.
The stage is set in Lincoln. Rhule has the tools and a revamped roster to completely rewrite the script, but if the offense sputters early, the seat beneath him will start getting incredibly warm.