We’ve Entered the Post-Hype Era of Husker Football

“How do you think Nebraska will do this year?”

I’ve been asked this question hundreds (thousands?) or times since I started covering the Nebraska football program on 1620 the Zone in 2014. Like a weatherperson getting asked about this weekend’s forecast, a doctor getting a question about a bump or bruise, us in the sports field in Nebraska often find ourselves putting numbers – wins, stats, you name it – out into the world well before fall camp, let alone the season opener, even arrives.

Because of that, I am pretty much always thinking about how well I think Nebraska will or won’t do on the football field when that glorious day arrives. I’m always moving pieces around in my head, trying to figure out what it would mean for the team if the defense is 10% worse than the previous season. Would the offense make up for the dropoff if it was 10% better? What about a 25% improvement* from special teams?

*You want to talk about a fun offseason exercise? Do a sliding scale of special teams improvement and try to figure out what it would mean for the offense and defense. Imagine if special teams isn't a tire fire for the first time in years. Even with dropoff on one side of the ball, it would be massive.

In 2014, 2016, or 2019, it meant one thing to throw expectations on Husker football. Sure, some doubted a relatively optimistic prediction of 8-4 or 9-3, particularly in the Mike Riley era, as well as late Scott Frost years, but most nodded along, trying to find reasons the team could actually perform at a higher level than the number you put into the ether. “9-3 would be ok,” they’d say, "but is it possible they could be better?"

As the Frost era went from bad to worse over the course of 2020 and 2021, I remember the increase in volume at any level of positivity* in the offseason. No longer could you throw out 8-4 or 9-3 because Purdue and Illinois filled the schedule, unless you were ok with being called a homer or worse by some fans. No longer were Husker fans automatically finding reasons to expect better; They were finding reasons they’d be worse than expected.

*Hell, I might have led the charge at points! Why on earth did people believe the 2021 group that went 3-9 could go 8-4 or 9-3? Close losses and poor fourth quarter performances were a feature of the Frost era, not a bug! Ok, I'll put my soap box away. Sorry.

This wasn't the case with everyone. In a way, that time period represented a continual drift apart of Nebraska’s fanbase. I’d sometimes tell people that any piece of news – a player leaves, Scott Frost opines – sent fans and media to their collective battle stations.

In mid-March, Matt Rhule stood in front of the media for close to 40 minutes, answering questions both big picture and small. 21 minutes in, he was asked about Nebraska’s offseason and why this one might be different than what happened between January and September in previous years.

“One of the running kind of jokes with fans here is, ‘We’re winning offseason championships every year.” What would you tell them is really different about this offseason that’s going to make a difference this year?”

The question was barely finished before Rhule responded, “I don’t have an answer for that.”

Nebraska “winning the offseason national championship has become a meme around these parts, but it was still wild to me to hear Matt Rhule asked about it in a press conference, mainly because he’s never even hinted* at it.

*Has Matt Rhule been positive? Of course. This past weekend included a number of quotes about how different things are, how players and coaches are taking ownership of things in a way they didn’t in 2023 and 2024, and why that’ll help the team on the field in 2025. But nowhere in there, or any other years, has he tried to get people to believe all was fixed and it was just a matter of time before the team would get fitted for rings.

As the question-and-answer landed in an awkward bit of silence, Matt Rhule added, “I’ve got to do the best we can in the offseason to have success. I try very much not to hype things up. I think sometimes we hype things way, way up here, and then get really disappointed with things.”

Does anyone earnestly believe Nebraska has won much of anything the last few months?

Is anyone really hyping Nebraska at this point?

Which brings us back to the present. For a variety* of reasons, I found myself thinking more about how the program has been covered this offseason and why it continues to feel so different than it has in pervious springs.

*It was quite the week online this week, for Husker fans and media members alike. I’ll let you poke and prod on the internet to find out more, if you’re one of the lucky ones not to be incredibly online like I am.

Why are things different? Are they even different?

Is it the cancellation of the spring game? Would seem odd for something that hasn’t happened yet to cause such an impact on things. That said, the crescendo of this spring vs. previous ones seems different, close to three weeks out from its usual landing spot. On the other hand, it’s not like the spring game was ever played halfway through spring ball. So, if it feels different, it’s only because we know there won’t be a scrimmage in three weeks. Would the vibes be noticeable at all if we didn’t know what this was (or wasn’t) building towards? My guess is no.

Is it the Tennessee series going away? I have certainly said piece on this situation, but the game wasn't on tap until September of 2026. As disappointed as it was to some, it's not like the games were anywhere near as front of mind as the Colorado matchup was at this time last year.

Is there apathy? Well, you’re reading this column right now; A spring football column almost five months from the opener. You certainly care about Husker football at this moment in time, as do thousands of others. As do I! And anytime I ask the question about apathy or discouragement within the program, I’m told I live in a bubble and that it doesn’t exist. Alright, I’ll buy that!

So, what is it?

I think Husker football has, for the first time ever, entered into its post-hype phase.

Let me explain.

Mike Schaefer of Husker247 Sports is a regular guest on my radio show, Unsportsmanlike Conduct. This past Wednesday, we had a conversation about the schedule and for the first time in years, Schaefer found himself picking against Nebraska when he’d usually pick Nebraska to win. Why?

“Looking at the schedule, there's enough out there that I think is challenging in a way for a team that I just don't want to give the benefit of the doubt to anymore. That's kind of where I'm at with Nebraska. So, until I have a reason to think that they're going to beat some of these teams on their schedule, even if on paper, I think they're better, even if they have a better quarterback and all of this other stuff, I probably lean towards picking against Nebraska more in this exercise than I would have guessed coming into it.”

He later added:

“I guess I've been beaten. Like last year, I obviously famously was just serving up Kool-Aid by the gallon down here in South Lincoln, inviting anyone to stop by and I would refill your cup with more and more Kool-Aid.

“And I thought they had a team, and I still feel like they had a team, that could win nine or even ten games on that schedule last year. And they just kept giving games away. And so, at some point, you have to, or at least I had to, just accept that until they stop doing that. I have to assume there's a loss or two on the schedule that probably shouldn't be, just entirely because they can't close game. They don't make winning plays and winning moments.”