They say you can’t lose a bye week. Nebraska might have disproved that rule. The Huskers sat, watched, and waited, and saw the weekend unfold in ways that had to be more than a little frustrating.
This week’s winners and losers are a bit different than any other week because it’s not based on how the Huskers performed. Instead, the winners and losers are all a bit more abstract.
Winner: Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea
The quarterback situation in the Big Ten is absolutely insane. It seems like every team in the conference has either benched its starter or had to start its backup due to injury. Michigan State vs. UCLA and Oregon vs. Illinois were both battles of the backups. Indiana’s Josh Hoover played and was “not 100% all week.” Iowa played both quarterbacks.
Meanwhile, Anthony Colandrea hasn’t so much as limped off the field in pain so far this season. Assuming we don’t have to knock on wood and he can keep that up all season, he’ll show toughness and resiliency that were rare in the Big Ten this season. It’s a point of pride; it will also be an interesting selling point when contract talks heat up around the Transfer Portal.
Winner: Scott Shanle
When Matt Rhule was first hired, few critics were as loud as former Nebraska linebacker Scott Shanle. The man absolutely hated the move. After the losses to Oregon and Indiana over the past two weeks, and how Indiana and Oregon played this week, Shanle is almost certainly smiling ear to ear and telling everyone who will listen that he was right.
Winner: Scott Frost
It’s not just that Scott Frost beat the No. 2 team in the country (a 39-31 double overtime win over BYU) for his first win over a Top 25 team since his first stint at UCF. He’s been talking long and loud about how part of the reason he wasn’t more successful was that he didn’t get the right support at Nebraska.
In 4+ years at Nebraska, he never beat a Top 25 team. He’s already got one in half that time since returning to Orlando. In his fourth year with the Huskers, current NU head coach Matt Rhule led a Top 25 team in the 4th quarter and blew it. Is Scott Frost really going to get the last laugh here?
Winner: Nebraska football
Sooner or later, the Cornhuskers’ remaining schedule isn’t nearly as tough as it looked before the season has to play to their advantage, doesn’t it? Iowa fell to Minnesota, 13-10, this weekend. A loss that might even knock them out of the Top 25.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin took out No. 16 USC to improve to 5-2. Before the season started, Husker fans likely wished they'd played the Badgers instead of the Illini or Ohio State. With Julian Sayin hurt and Illinois struggling through 2026, even after a big win over Oregon yesterday, it might be better if the Badgers aren’t on Nebraska’s schedule this season.
Loser: Matt Rhule
No one in Nebraska had a rougher bye week than head coach Matt Rhule. He got to watch the guy he replaced in Lincoln get a Top 25 win before him. Then he got to watch Michigan take Indiana to overtime before eventually losing just 13-6 despite starting a freshman quarterback who played an awful game.
The capper was watching Oregon’s offense muster just 10 points against an Illinois defense so bad this year that it fired its defensive coordinator a few weeks ago. Everyone knows these games aren't one-to-one, but he likely hoped to see Indiana and Oregon blow out Illinois for no other reason than to take a little second-guessing off his back. There isn’t much that went right for Rhule outside the program.
Loser: Dylan Raiola
Dylan Raiola sat out the first three quarters of his game against Nebraska because he played so poorly against UCLA. He rallied Oregon in the fourth quarter to beat his former team, earning him a start against Illinois. He once again played poorly, didn’t throw a touchdown, and fumbled twice (losing one) in the 21-10 loss to the Illini.
Not only might Raiola’s performance mean he’ll sit on the bench for the rest of the year, but his two starts this season have also made it very unlikely he’s the quarterback of the future Oregon once hoped for. Considering he had absolutely no real competition for the starting job at Nebraska, one has to wonder if he wishes he had just stayed put.
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