The hype around the Nebraska football team entering this season is near all-time highs. And that hype isn't just coming from Husker fans but from national analysts like Joel Klatt.
Klatt recently took to the airwaves on his latest podcast to announce the 10 teams he believes could be first-time playoff teams in 2025. To be clear, these are the teams that have never been to any playoff game before, but are good enough that they could make some serious noise this fall.
While even Klatt considers the Nebraska football team to be an obvious longshot, he also thinks the Huskers are definitely in the running. They came in at No. 10 on his list of 10.
Nebraska football earns spot in Joel Klatt’s top 10 first-time playoff candidates
"I think that they can probably take a little bit of a jump. If you look at their year last year, it was progress," Klatt said about the Huskers. "Year two with Matt Rhule was almost really good. Except for those one score games, which I know you could be saying forever for Nebraska, but they snapped that seven-year streak without a bowl. That's progress."
In addition to Nebraska, Klatt named Illinois, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Miami, Iowa, Missouri, USC, Kansas State, and Florida, in that order.
Even if the Cornhuskers don't make it in 2025, the Big Ten and the SEC are both trying desperately to implement measures that will make it easier for teams in both conferences to get in. Nebraska will just need to do its part.
It's well known that the Third Year of Matt Rhule's regimes is often their best. They tend to be when his teams really turn the corner. That is, of course, 2025 for the Huskers.
So far, the Nebraska football team has followed his blueprint from other stops in his career. While a third-year surge might not include the playoffs just yet, they could take a step towards them in 2025.