Tomorrow I’ll post my list of coaches who won’t survive another losing season, coaches under the microscope, and coaches who will more than likely be on the move. You won’t find Matt Rhule anywhere on my list. So, where does he fall on my list of coaches?
He is going into his fourth year as the head man and so far, he has posted a 19-19 record. Not exactly what the Husker faithful was hoping for when he was hired.
Now, I know this is football, but the best example I could come up with was if Matt Rhule was a batter standing at the plate and taking pitches. What would his pitch count be going into year four?
In Rhule’s first year at bat his team should have easily went 6-6 if not 7-5, but they fumbled the season away with possible wins at Minnesota, Maryland, and Iowa to finish 5-7. Rhule lost his first game as head coach at Nebraska and posted a losing record in his first season. STRIKE ONE!
In year two, the Huskers started strong only to falter late and finish the season with yet another heartbreaking loss to Iowa. However, they went 6-6 and qualified for a bowl game which they won to finish the season at 7-6. Rhule and the Huskers break a bowl draught. BALL ONE!
Year three, the infamous third pitch, we all remember it, when the mighty Rhule stepped to the plate and pointed towards the left outfield. We just knew it was going to happen. He was known for connecting on third pitches, and the schedule he was given resembled a rookie relief pitcher who had never thrown a strike. So, what does the mighty Rhule do? He arrogantly relies on his NFL coaches and stands aimlessly at the plate and watches a 60mph pitch float by low and outside. The Huskers once again start strong, fall apart in the last half of the season and finish 7-5. They go to a second consecutive bowl and get thumped by Utah. Since AD Troy Dannan just gave Rhule a new contract after Penn State came calling, BALL TWO!!
So, here we are, year four. Two balls and one strike. The 2026 schedule is a new pitcher that makes Nolan Ryan look like a 10-year-old little leaguer. I’ll put it this way, if Rhule goes 5-7 or even 6-6 it may be another strike. Especially if he misses going to a bowl game. If he can get to 7-5 or 8-4 it’ll be another ball. Either way, with the schedule he’s facing, I don’t see him getting on base with a 9-3 or 10-2 record. Which means he’ll go into 2027 with either three balls and one strike or two balls and two strikes.
At that point the 2027 season will be pivotal for Rhule. If he already has two strikes, a losing season should mean strike three. If he were to have a losing season with three balls and one strike, it’ll just be strike two. If he were to have his best season yet, considering his buyout and what looks like a stellar 2027 class with Trae Taylor, the umpire (aka Dannan) will advance him to first base. After that, we’ll see how talented Rhule is running the bases and making it all the way home.
It boils down to Rhule being the Nebraska coach going into the 2028 season. If Nebraska doesn’t make the college football playoffs by then, who knows.
GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST, VIOLENT!!
Photo courtesy of The Falls City Journal
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