Nebraska football fans expect quite a bit out of the first year of the Matt Rhule era, but are they setting themselves up for disappointment?
The answer to that question is legitimately not going to come until next fall. But if recent Nebraska football history is any indication, then disappointment seems likely. After all, new head coach Matt Rhule has a big job ahead of him.
The Huskers have now gone five straight seasons without a bowl appearance. It’s arguable that the team only got worse the further it went into the Scott Frost era. Now Rhule is going to have to take a roster that has a ton of question marks and, apparently, if Nebraska football fans’ expectations are to be believed, go to a bowl in his first season.
One of the biggest signs of that optimism popped up before the Nebraska football team finished its early signing period. A poll by a local sports radio program showed that 55 percent of Husker fans expect a bowl game next season.
What will Nebraska's regular season record be in 2023?
— Unsportsmanlike Conduct (@USC1620) December 19, 2022
This poll was run before Casey Thompson, Ajay Allen, or Anthony Grant announced they were coming back. It was run before Jeff Sims committed to and signed with the Cornhuskers. There was a real mystery about who would be on this roster in 2023. And still the majority of fans were expecting a 6-6 or better record.
In optimists’ defense, the vast majority of that majority are expecting 7-5 at best. Only 9 percent think 8-4 is a realistic record. But still, it’s pretty amazing that many people are expecting a bowl game in Year One of Matt Rhule without having any idea who would actually be on the team.
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The optimism is even more interesting when you consider that while Rhule has had success building programs, he doesn’t do it overnight.
At both Temple and Baylor, his teams were still pretty bad. It wasn’t until year two that they really started to take off.
The counter argument here is that Rhule didn’t take over Temple or Baylor with the talent that the Nebraska football team could conceivably have on its roster. The best argument against waiting for a teardown and build up is that the new Husker coach isn’t getting paid like he’s going to have another losing season in 2023.
Of course, a man’s salary plays no actual part in his success on the field.
There’s nothing wrong with being optimistic about the coming season. With a schedule that should be easier and some big talent coming back, a bowl game isn’t out of the question by any means.
But it feels like there are some Nebraska football fans setting themselves up for a big disappointment if history is any judge.