Nebraska To The College Football Playoff? One ESPN Analyst Thinks So

At least that's what ESPN contributor Josh Pate thinks about the Cornhuskers' chances. While appearing on the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast, the CFB writer opened up about his thoughts on Nebraska this season and where they potentially slot into this year's Playoff.

10 wins on the table?

"So I feel like we're close enough to the season where a lot of people are gonna start getting on the whole 'ooh, I just did my research. It looks like Matt Rhule in year three is a big deal,'" Pate began.

"I don't think that those people know that even Holgorsen is the offensive coordinator … I've got Dylan here, I've got Dana Holgerson here, and I just feel like that's about to happen this year."

"And even though they lost Tony White Florida State — which is a move I still question, by the way — even though they lost him to Florida State, I feel like the defensive personnel will be good enough that the scaling of offensive production combined with what I think's the most workable Big Ten schedule in the entire conference," the commentator explained.

"There's such a path to 10-2 and I think 10-2 gets them in … The question is, who's ready not to follow that prediction, but like, is anyone ready to top that prediction? That's what I came here to find out this morning slash early afternoon."

Nebraska hasn't won 10+ games since the Bo Pelini era in the early 2010s. But as Pate points out, this is a very winnable schedule for the Huskers.

With only two ranked opponents on the 2025 slate — one of which comes at home when Nebraska hosts the Wolverines on Sept. 20 — there's every reason to believe the team can be competitive over the next few months.

The Cornhuskers had their share of struggles offensively in '24; ranking 103rd in the nation in scoring offense, 94th in total yards and 96th in rushing offense. However, it's hard to imagine those numbers won't tick up significantly in Rhule's third year.

The only question is whether or not the Huskers are ready to meet the moment and take that next step under their 50-year-old HC — which historically every team has done under his watch outside of his brief stint in the NFL.