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Clear Favorite Has Emerged To Become Penn State's Football Coach

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Oct 25, 2025 10:55 AM ET

Penn State isn't in a hurry to name its next football coach. That being said, a favorite for the job has emerged.

After suffering losses to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern from Sept. 27 to Oct. 11, Penn State made the tough decision to fire James Franklin. He coached the Nittany Lions from 2014-2025, owning a 104-45 record and leading them to the College Football Playoff semifinals.

With Franklin out of the picture, Penn State might have its sights set on another Big Ten coach.

Kalshi, an American financial exchange and prediction market, has Nebraska coach Matt Rhule listed as the favorite for the Penn State job. As of this Saturday morning, he has a 35% chance of coaching the Nittany Lions.

Oct 11, 2025; College Park, Maryland, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule walks the field before the game against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images© Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Rhule claims he's not leaving Nebraska.

Earlier this month, Rhule appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" to discuss his future. He said that Nebraska isn't a "jumping off job." In other words, he's not interested in leaving.

“With my team, it’s just unbridled honestly. You tell them the truth and don’t B.S. ‘em, because they’ll know. And secondly, just with what’s out there, this is it, this is part of (being a coach). It’s better than when I was in Carolina and they were chanting to fire me, it’s better than being on a hot seat list. So having other schools maybe be interested in you is pretty cool. But I don’t do that during the season, I don’t mess around with that, I don’t play that,” Rhule told McAfee.

“And, at the same time, (Nebraska) is not a jumping off job. This is a destination job. This is one of the greatest places in the world. … I can do whatever I want here, I have a great young team, the youngest team in the Big Ten. Think about how good we’ll be next year. Now I’m not thinking about next year, but where we are right now, we’re learning, learning, learning. Think about where we’re going to go with Dylan (Raiola) and all these guys. So I refuse to be distracted”

Nebraska is currently 5-2 this season. Even though Rhule is having a lot of success, most fans are convinced he'll leave the Cornhuskers for his alma mater.

That is, of course, if Penn State offers Rhule the job.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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