As the Nebraska football team prepares for a season that Husker fans hope will finally be a real resurgence, it’s worth taking a look at the rest of the Big Ten and how analysts view the teams NU will be vying for a conference title and playoff spot with. As it turns out, head coach Matt Rhule appears to be in good standing.
USA Today’s Paul Myerberg recently put together his Power Rankings of every Big Ten coach, and Rhule got a surprising amount of love. His spot in the rankings is a bit unexpected, if for no other reason than a 12-13 record in Lincoln.
Nebraska football head coach earns major national respect ahead of pivotal 2025 season
Myerberg places the Nebraska football head coach at No. 5 in the rankings. That puts him just behind Ohio State’s Ryan Day, who has the top spot, Penn State’s James Franklin, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, and Oregon’s Dan Lanning.
Husker fans should feel ok with Rhule being ranked as high as he is mainly because if Kirk Ferentz can be ranked as the third-best coach in the entire conference, then it seems that Rhule can be ranked as high as fifth. After all, Rhule has had quite a bit of success elsewhere. Meanwhile, Ferentz has been mostly okey doke.
Myerberg does make it clear that when he’s ranking these coaches, he’s not only judging on what they’ve done in the B1G:
Rhule is starting to pull Nebraska back toward relevancy, just as he did during previous stints at Temple and Baylor. His disciplined approach should yield a breakthrough for the Cornhuskers in 2025. Performing another turnaround would bolster Rhule’s case for being seen as one of the top rebuilders in the sport.
The full list might be a bit surprising if for no other reason than a few names that are closer to the bottom than most other lists have had them:
1. Ryan Day (Ohio State)
2. James Franklin (Penn State)
3. Kirk Ferentz (Iowa)
4. Dan Lanning (Oregon)
5. Matt Rhule (Nebraska)
6. Curt Cignetti (Indiana)
7. P.J. Fleck (Minnesota)
8. Bret Bielema (Illinois)
9. Lincoln Riley (USC)
10. Greg Schiano (Rutgers)
11. Luke Fickell (Wisconsin)
12. Jonathan Smith (Michigan State)
13. Barry Odom (Purdue)
14. Sherrone Moore (Michigan)
15. Jedd Fisch (Washington)
16. Mike Locksley (Maryland)
17. DeShaun Foster (UCLA)
18. David Braun (Northwestern)
It’s clear that the Nebraska football team’s head coach has the respect of some national analysts. Here’s hoping he can return the Huskers to real relevance and reward them for that respect.