As part of Buckeye Sports Bulletin’s coverage of Big Ten Media Days (July 28-30), we are taking a look at several conference opponents Ohio State is scheduled to face during the 2026 season.
Matt Rhule has spent the last three seasons rebuilding Nebraska’s football program, and after restoring stability in Lincoln, the Cornhuskers’ head coach believes his veteran roster is ready to compete for more than just bowl eligibility.
In 2023, Rhule took over the reins of a Nebraska program that had won just 15 games over four seasons under former head coach Scott Frost.
While Rhule has steadily improved the Cornhuskers over his tenure with a 5-7 record in his first year before back-to-back 7-6 finishes in 2024 and 2025, he still feels there is more to accomplish.
After leading Nebraska to consecutive bowl appearances, Rhule said the program has moved past simply changing outside perceptions and is now focused on taking the next step in one of college football’s toughest conferences.
“I stood up here a few years ago saying before we can talk about doing great things, we have to earn back the respect,” Rhule said. “These guys, they kind of erased the narratives. Nebraska can’t win a close game; they’ve erased that. Went to back-to-back bowl games.
“We know that’s not enough. We didn’t come to Nebraska to go 7-6. We came to compete for this. Being here today with teams who have won the national championship — it’s inspiring, speaks to this conference, speaks to the people that run it, coaches and players that are in it. We understand we have to take a step this year. We’re excited to do that.”
Rhule believes Nebraska is poised to take that next step thanks to its veteran roster.
After fielding one of the youngest teams in the Big Ten a year ago, the Cornhuskers return 69 percent of their offensive (14th nationally) and defensive production (6th), giving them the third-most returning production in the FBS.
Nebraska and Rhule also managed to retain much of their core despite the alluring transfer portal, making the Cornhuskers one of the nation’s most experienced teams.
“Last year we were one of the youngest teams in the Big Ten,” Rhule said. “Pat Stewart, our GM, Keith Williams, our director of personnel, they’ve done an amazing job of retaining our players. They could have gone to other places, but they wanted to stay.
“We brought a bunch of guys in. We’ll win in November with our guys up front. We’ll win with a great offensive line. We’ll win with quarterbacks who make plays, receivers who go take that ball. We’ll win with Jacory Barney returning a punt for a touchdown.”
Unlike previous seasons, when Nebraska had to dedicate more time to building strength and developing physically, Rhule said with an older team the Cornhuskers were able to shift their focus toward refining their systems and gaining more experience together.
“(My first few years) we had to spend so much time lifting because we weren’t very strong,” Rhule said. “Now, this is a much more veteran team. Last year we were the first or second-youngest team in the Big Ten. So that team needs what? They need the weight room. They need the offseason program.
“This is a veteran team. Third most experienced returning production in the FBS. Do they need as much of that? Or do they need more like running our plays in our systems? So we went that way and because this is what this team needs. They need more plays together. So we went more that way.”
Rhule added that veterans in the Nebraska locker room have embraced opportunities as leaders this offseason, with players taking initiative by organizing extra workouts and continuing to push each other even when coaches were away from the facility.
“Coaches go away in July. I talked to the players. We brought the seniors to Philly. They’re like, ‘Oh, coach, OTAs went great this week.’ I’m like, ‘I didn’t ask you guys to do OTAs’, but the guys who want to win are doing them and taking them seriously. But now we’ll do it in camp and see what happens.”
Nebraska will have an opportunity to prove it has taken that next step against a demanding Big Ten schedule.
The Cornhuskers will face four teams ranked in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll Top 25, including three opponents ranked inside the top 10. Nebraska’s schedule features matchups against No. 1 Ohio State (Nov. 21), a road trip to No. 2 Oregon (Oct. 17) and a home contest against No. 6 Indiana (Oct. 10).
Still, Rhule is confident in his team’s abilities, stating preseason expectations mean little in the modern era of college football because of roster turnover and the transfer portal.
“They’re all nameless, faceless opponents to me,” Rhule said. “I’ll tell you what about college football. Some of the teams we think aren’t going to be very good are going to be great and some of the teams we think are going to be great aren’t going to be as good. No one knows with the portal who everyone is.”
