WTFuck man. ?
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Media Predictions for Nebraska 2026 Football Season
- Thread starter TGHusker
- Start date
Hilltop
All-Conference
2025 Nebraska Football - Youngest Football Team in the B1G
Most conference wins since 2016
Best regular season since 2016
First time ranked in the top 25 since 2016
Didn't finish good after losing 5 star starting QB
Upgraded coaching staff at several positions
Brought in numerous transfers at key positions
Brought in a highly sought after QB transfer that many others were after
No reason to be optimistic about next season... seriously
Crusader Husker
All-Conference
If Riley hadn't been forced to fire Banker, the next year would have been good. Bob Diaco blew up the program. Team D was ranked 33rd in 2016. Good, but not great. Frost may have happened, but not so soon.
The stories about Diaco are crazy, man is a loon.
The stories about Diaco are crazy, man is a loon.
presidentjlh
All-Conference
I'm firmly in the "Put up or shut up" camp. I expect the same as the past decade until proven otherwise. Win 8-9 games, then we can talk.
Toe
All-American
TGHusker
Assistant Coach
As far as run blocking, the OL improved as the year went along. As far as Past Pro not so much - and some of that can be contributed to DR's slow decision making behind the line. I don't consider myself a pessimist - but a realist. I've been cheering Husker football since 1970 (8th grade). I've always been hopeful as I hope for the best for the Huskers - I'll defend them before everyone outside of Husker Nation. But we are talking among family here. However, sometimes false hope leads to wounds of the heart. Better to be a realist which basically says: "Past performance is the best predictor of future performance unless a new 'ingredient'/event is thrown into the mix." This is a credit management moto but applicable in many other cases. I'm not sure we've had enough ingredients thrown into the stew to help us to take the big step forward. Until I see it, I can't drink the kool-aid.
TGHusker
Assistant Coach
I don't think he makes a difference in the losses to Iowa, PSU and Utah. He was also the QB vs Minny. All 4 were giant butt spankings. One day we hope to be at the same level as Iowa and Minny. That is a relatively low bar to climb over based on our past history but we haven't been able to do so much less be at Ohio State's level or even ..gulp.. Indiana's. One day I hope our administration get's there act together and hire a coach worthy of the investment and the fan's loyalty. I hope it ends up being Rhule - I was all for his hiring to begin with. This next year will tell us more if his very slow burn turns into a playoff worthy team
Built on beating cupcakes - based on previous schedules, this was thought of as a relatively easy schedule - even more so after PSU imploded. It isn't about how you start but how you finish.
How we finished the last 6 games during the Rhule era:
2025 2-4
2024 2-4
2023 1-5
chamrocck
All-American
Checks schedule, looks for EJ on the sideline….oh shiiiiiiiiiiiii.
Undone
All-American
Is there even any discussion in this thread at all about where our defense is capable of being at for 2026?
Our defense held us back last season way more than anything else. We had lost a coach that was able to capture his players and get them fired up and put in the right place to succeed. We started prioritizing defending the pass and totally lost the ability to defend the run.
Yeah, we lost a couple big guys that contributed.
Does Rob Aurich even care about this new job? Are we going to coach up our defensive front and get the fastest guys on the field at linebacker? Are we going to do something to pressure the passer, even if our talent is lacking a bit at the positions that do that?
This is what I'm looking at heading into this season. Emmett Johnson having moved on is not even towards the top of the list of issues for me.
Our defense held us back last season way more than anything else. We had lost a coach that was able to capture his players and get them fired up and put in the right place to succeed. We started prioritizing defending the pass and totally lost the ability to defend the run.
Yeah, we lost a couple big guys that contributed.
Does Rob Aurich even care about this new job? Are we going to coach up our defensive front and get the fastest guys on the field at linebacker? Are we going to do something to pressure the passer, even if our talent is lacking a bit at the positions that do that?
This is what I'm looking at heading into this season. Emmett Johnson having moved on is not even towards the top of the list of issues for me.
Dr. Strangelove
All-Conference
Literally half this list is subjective.
Let's pretend for a moment you're right. Nebraska is a young squad and Rhule does something he hasn't done in 3 years and develops a small handful of his recruits into impactful players.
How big of an impact do those players have to have against this upcoming schedule - featuring 6 teams that are better than the best team Nebraska faced in 2025? They aren't just going to lose those games, they are going to get dog walked and this team is going to give up on itself by halftime of the Washington game.
I'm sorry, but we're beyond the point about complaining about people being pessimistic after the last decade-plus of Nebraska football. They've beat Iowa once in a decade. They haven't beaten a ranked team in a decade. They've hired coaches working at a credit union. They sent 1 player to the NFL. It's obvious the coach they inexplicably extended is in over his head. Matt Rhule is an anchor.
At a certain point fans need to revolt because the football apparatus at Memorial Stadium isn't just bad, it's embarrassing. It's criminal. Fans aren't negative enough about what the last decade of incompetent ADs have done to this place, only to somehow be surpassed by the complete and total ineptitude, impotence, and monumental failures these coaches have been.
Dogs In A Pile
Starter
NU returning to the Pinstripe Bowl to face NC State per CBS Sports prediction.
www.cbssports.com
Post-spring college football bowl, CFP projections: Miami, Texas, Oregon, Notre Dame lead 12-team bracket
Predicted pairings for all 43 postseason games this fall, including the CFP first round and quarterfinals matchups
www.cbssports.com
Dogs In A Pile
Starter
Hilltop
All-Conference
No it isn't. There is literally one subjective thing listed.
2025 Nebraska Football - Youngest Football Team in the B1G FACT
Most conference wins since 2016 FACT
Best regular season since 2016 FACT
First time ranked in the top 25 since 2016 FACT
Didn't finish good after losing 5 star starting QB FACT
Upgraded coaching staff at several positions Subjective
Brought in numerous transfers at key positions FACT
Brought in a highly sought after QB transfer that many others were after FACT
I'm not claiming anything other than there is reason for optimism and I listed the reasons why.
What 6 teams on our schedule are better than anyone we faced in 2025? I'll give you 3.... Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon. We faced the 4th, 5th, and 6th best conference teams last season.
There is plenty to be negative about without exaggerating.
Up for a side bet? I think we become bowl eligible when we beat Washington at home in front of a great Halloween crowd during a night game. 6-2 going into winnable games against Illinois and Rutgers will have the fans excited again and we finish 8-4 with a win over Iowa.... progress. Slow but we will take it.
Lorewarn
All-Conference
For posterity, we were ranked for two weeks at the beginning of 2019, and for two weeks in September 2024.
Bringing in a lot of transfers including a quarterback are facts, but only if there's no implication of those being good or bad things.