Is a breakthrough expected from Nebraska? Or are people going to be down on the Huskers going into 2025? Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Will We Be Right Or Wrong About How Good Nebraska Is In 2025?

Originally posted on Nebraska Cornhuskers on SI | Last updated Jul 19, 2025 12:41 PM ET

We're one week closer to the start of the 2025 college football season. Hallelujah!

With Big Ten Media Days around the corner, Jack Mitchell and Josh Peterson tried to figure out what the groupthink is for the Big Ten contenders and opponents of Nebraska, before diving into the Cornhuskers. Who is expected to be good? Who is expected to be bad? And where will we ultimately end up being wrong?

Below is a lightly edited transcript where they try to figure out the feeling surrounding the Husker football team going into the 2025 season.

Josh: What is the groupthink on Nebraska, Jack? Could I convince you that there actually is no groupthink on Nebraska in 2025, and they're one of the few teams in the league that I don't think people are strong one way or the other on?

Jack: I think there is a vague sense of like, “this law of averages thing like it's due.” And then I think the other part of it is still, I do think still think there is groupthink trust in Matt Rhule and especially in year three Matt Rhule, like outside of the Nebraska bubble; outside of our audience.

Josh: That's what Dave [Feit] says. “The groupthink is Matt Rhule year three jump.” Interesting. So we think that that could be the groupthink? The reason that I'm not willing to go all the way there with you and him and anyone else who agrees is just, I also sense a “why would I expect Nebraska to break through” from a lot of other national people. But maybe I'm wrong in that. I just people have gotten burned by this program for so many years now.

Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

We had some audio that we played on [Unsportsmanlike Conduct] at some point in time over the last month, because on The Audible Podcast with Stewart Mandel and Bruce Feldman, they were like, “who could be a dark horse playoff contender?” And Feldman says Nebraska and Mandel laughed at him because he was like, “I knew you would say Nebraska.” And so that one podcast, they were literally on the opposite ends of the spectrum.

I guess some [of the groupthink] is that they will break through, and others are like, why would you pick them to break through? It's kind of what it is.

Jack: Yeah. Maybe that's it. And it's kind of the thing that we're all saying is like, “well, if Dylan Raiola can get going, who knows,” you know?

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This article first appeared on Nebraska Cornhuskers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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