It’s crunch time for the Nebraska football team.
In a stressful, but business-like, win over Northwestern last week at Memorial Stadium, the Huskers reacted like stoics. There was no field storming or partying for reaching bowl eligibility, but rather checking a box off your chore list. That’s the new normal for NU under third-year head coach Matt Rhule.
Expectations are bigger for this improved group of Huskers in 2025. Sure, NU has been aided by a weaker conference schedule, but past Nebraska teams crumbled against Northwestern, Cincinnati, and Maryland. And because of that, there’s reason for optimism heading into the final third of the season for the Huskers, who actually have the opportunity to make the College Football Playoff by winning out — even though that shouldn’t be the expectation.
First, take care of No. 23 USC. Another historic program that is trying to find its footing under a well-known head coach with a quarterback enjoying a breakout season. Since 2016, Nebraska has dropped 28-straight games to AP-ranked opponents, but head coach Matt Rhule and NU hope to end that streak with Nebraska’s biggest attempt at a Blackout to disrupt the Lincoln Riley offensive machine under the Saturday night lights. At 1-7 in November, leading the Huskers, Rhule and his team have yet to get over the hump in a month that tends to define teams’ seasons. On Saturday, they’ll have a chance to rewrite the narrative and prove why Thursday’s two-year contract extension with Rhule was a bet worth making.
How to Follow Along
No. 23 USC Scout
Head Coach
Head Coach Lincoln Riley | 4th season at USC; 9th as HC | 31-16 (.660) at USC; 86-26 (.768) Career record as HC | 2x College Football Playoff App. | 4x Big 12 Titles | Big 12 Coach OTY, AP Big 12 Coach OTY, Broyles Award | Previous HC at Oklahoma | Previous assistant at Oklahoma, East Carolina, and Texas Tech.
2024 Finish
2024 Record & Awards
7-6 (4-5 B1G, T-9th) | 1x All-American | Eddleman-Field B1G Punter OTY | All-Big Ten: 1x First Team, 2x Second Team, 4x Third Team, 6x Honorable Mentions.
All-Time Series
Key Departures
Top Returners
Impact Transfers/Newcomers
Key Storylines
Does the Rhule extension calm the waters?
Rhule inked a two-year contract extension that was announced on Thursday, extending the Huskers’ third-year coach through 2032 — essentially ending his candidacy for any other jobs in the country. In what was a big coup for Athletic Director Troy Dannen and the department’s bank account, the new deal does not include a change to his base salary, but rather adds two additional years at $12.5 million per year, which is the slated salary for Rhule in 2030. Instead, Rhule has big incentives that see his base salary increase by one million anytime NU qualifies for the College Football Playoff.
Combined with a flurry of other factors, Nebraska players and coaches looked distracted in their humiliating loss at Minnesota, which came after huge rumors swirled around Rhule and his chances of becoming the next head coach at his alma mater, Penn State. NU rebounded with a much-needed victory over Northwestern last week despite blowing a two-possession lead in the second half. At 6-2, Nebraska will take part in a de facto College Football Playoff Elimination game against the Trojans, and with Rhule locked up, stability can reign regardless of the result.
The blueprint to beat Nebraska is clear for USC.
It’s no secret that the Huskers struggle to stop the run as the Blackshirts rank 15th in the Big Ten in rushing yards allowed per game at 156.5. Departures over the offseason decimated a defensive line group that excelled in that aspect of the game in 2024, but a young room in 2025 has resulted in a step back. Typically, you wouldn’t have to worry about the Trojans pounding the rock with USC having lacked the power, physicality, and toughness in past seasons under Lincoln Riley, but that’s improved in his fourth season.
Known as America’s blue-collar college football program, Michigan — which piled on 286 rushing yards against Nebraska — was obliterated by the Trojans in their own style with USC outmuscling the Wolverines for 224 rushing yards en route to an impressive 31-13 win on Oct. 11th. King Miller got 18 carries for 158 yards while Waymond Jordan received 11 attempts. Expect that duo to be featured plenty on Saturday. Although what makes the Trojans so dangerous is if NU can stop the run, they’re more than happy to air it out with the Big Ten’s best passing offense (326.1 Y/G). On the flip side, Nebraska has a better shot of victory if it can limit the once-a-game breakout run and force Riley to lean on Maiava against one of the best passing defenses in the country.
Bottom line, limiting the run lifts the chances for a Nebraska win, but it’s far from a guarantee that USC won’t be able to move the ball.
What kind of impact does the Saturday night blackout crowd create?
With this week’s game getting the primetime NBC treatment, the Nebraska Athletic Department saved one of its best promotions for the season, calling all Husker fans to participate in Saturday night’s blackout — a request that made way back in August, signaling the importance Rhule and NU deems for this matchup against the Trojans.
Blackouts have been hit-and-miss in the past, according to HuskerMax’s own Dave Feit, with three past occasions having various levels of success. In what is essentially a College Football Playoff elimination game, combined with the high number of elite recruits on campus, Saturday presents another opportunity for Nebraska to run the corner as a program and prove it on the national stage. As a 6.5-point underdog, the Huskers are in for a tough matchup, but if this ends up a one-possession game like Vegas thinks it will, special teams and the home crowd could be that difference in Nebraska’s attempt to beat its first ranked opponent since 2016.
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