Matt Rhule, Dylan Raiola & Nebraska Open Spring Camp with Blue Skies & Potential Storm Clouds

Promising Hires Kill the Negativity – At Least Temporarily  

Troy Dannen is universally acclaimed as an outstanding football man and hire. Dannen oversaw the best era of football in recent Tulane University history. And during his short stay at Washington, he proved he could change on the fly by hiring head coach Jedd Fisch away from Arizona.

Fisch was building a College Football Playoff contender at Arizona but bolted to U-Dub as the replacement for Kalen DeBoer, who left for Alabama a couple of days after losing the national championship game to Michigan. Dannen was credited with a major coup and turning defeat into victory.

As for Gold, he will be tasked with getting Nebraska back into the Association of American Universities (AAU), where it was a member for 102 years. In 2011, Nebraska was voted out of the AAU based on technicalities involving its medical center.

Gold has been chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center since 2014. That connection is seen as key to the school earning its way back into the AAU, which is a major point of contention for Big Ten Conference members.

Although more government research dollars are allocated to AAU schools, it is also true that the AAU is much about image and branding. There are plenty of schools that rank higher than AAU institutions on the all-important US News & World Report list of universities. However, AAU has a branding cache and improves the value of a diploma.

Most importantly, Nebraska knew the Big Ten’s desire for AAU status when it joined the league. Finally, it is getting serious about fixing the problem. And with conference and NCAA realignment hanging in the balance, Nebraska can’t give any potential enemies a sword. 

The National Champions of the Offseason – AGAIN! 

An inside joke among Husker faithful is that Nebraska football has long been the reigning national champion of offseason hype. The two best examples are 2017 and 2019.

In 2017 head coach Mike Riley was coming off a 9-4 record, including 6-3 in the Big Ten and a Music City Bowl berth. Expectations for a West Division title were a constant refrain. Instead, Nebraska finished 4-8, and Riley was shown the door.

In 2019, the Huskers were touted as the team of the future. It was the second year for head coach Scott Frost and QB Adrian Martinez, who was among the betting favorites to win the Heisman Trophy. Frost and Martinez were featured at Big Ten media days, and the hype was on a rock-star level. But Nebraska finished 5-7 and it was the first tell that Frost was not the savior he was sold to be when he came home to save his alma mater.

In fact, there is an eerie similarity to 2019 with Rhule and Raiola. The true freshman is the highest-rated QB recruiting prospect in Nebraska history. But the expectations are through the roof and probably too much for a new player. Couple Raiola’s hype with Rhule being the most popular man in the state, and you have considerable goodwill and dreams that may not yet be realistic. 

Matt’s Rhule Is Fundamental Football 

The one distinct difference between Rhule and Frost is that the current coach is a fundamentalist taskmaster. Frost’s teams were known for being sloppy and undisciplined. Also, Rhule is building a tougher team compared to Frost and his emphasis on Oregon-style finesse.

Rhule played linebacker at Penn State and wants to emulate his toughness in a league known for beating up opponents. He believes that in the Big Ten climate, games that matter most being played in cold weather, require brute force and the ability to deliver and take a pounding.

This philosophy will help protect Raiola from becoming another Martinez, who carried too much of the burden during his Nebraska career. Rhule is building a tough program based on complimentary football. And he will need to stick with that to protect his QB’s mental and physical well-being.

Big Red Alert! Potential Storm Clouds on the Horizon

Naturally, with Nebraska fans being Nebraska fans, the original dream of a Motor City Bowl berth has now grown into the hope of a berth in the Big Ten championship game. Rhule holds the hearts of Nebraskans in the palm of his hand. But that can change quickly if the losses mount.

Rhule has done a masterful job in getting fans to forget about November’s four-and-out, when the Huskers failed to win their final four matchups to attain what was thought to be certain bowl eligibility.

Certainly, winning is a cure-all for everything else threatening Nebraska. But it is also a necessity to ensure its survival. The South Stadium project is stalled, and Dannen will soon hit the phones and banquet circuit soliciting major donations, even as the new football complex is not completely renovated. Thus, the more wins that Rhule delivers, the easier Dannen’s sales job will be and the more generous donors will be.

Meanwhile, Dr. Gold will need to present a serious plan to navigate the AAU quandary quickly. AAU admittance further ensures Nebraska’s future in the Big Ten, one of college football’s two Superpower leagues.

Rhule’s program must deliver wins to fuel the donor, renovation, and AAU quests. While there is faith in this three-leg parlay, it won’t be easy or happen by accident.

Nebraska emerged from the Trev Alberts crisis with triumphantly flying colors. But now comes the even harder part. The pressure is on full blast.

Nebraska is on Big Red Alert.