One time Nebraska football head coaching candidate could soon be out of a job

Things might not be as rosy for the Nebraska football program as it was a week ago. Back then, there was talk that the Huskers had a clear path to the college football playoffs. There was talk about going 7-0 to start the season.

Then Illinois came calling and the Huskers suffered another loss to a Top 25 team. They suffered another one score loss. And suddenly, the concerns over whether Matt Rhule - and surprisingly Tony White - being the right guy for the job come back.

So first off, yes, Matt Rhule is still the right guy for the job. Secondly, Baylor’s Dave Aranda demonstrated once again why Nebraska football fans should be glad Trev Alberts never turned in his direction when he was searching for the new Huskers head man.

Never forget, that there was a time when Aranda was the top name among many Husker fans wishlists. The prevailing theory among some was that he was simply too good a coach to consider Nebraska. How things have changed in the last two seasons.

Nebraska football fans should be happy Dave Aranda isn’t in Lincoln

Since Matt Rhule was hired by Alberts, Aranda’s squad has gone 5-11 while the Huskers have gone 8-8. The contrast is even worse when you consider the Baylor head coach supposedly laid the groundwork for a long run of success for the Bears (by using quite a few of Rhule’s players), while the NU coach had an obvious rebuild in front of him.

The 11th loss in the last two seasons might be the last straw for the one-time Big 12 Coach of the Year. 

While his squad entered Saturday’s game against Colorado as an underdog, they held a 31-24 lead with just seconds to play. Then Colorado ran a hailmary play that should have worked. Would have worked to tie the game, if the receiver didn’t drop the ball. 

The Buffs then had one final chance, ran another hail mary and this time, completed it. The Bears, coincidentally ran the same defensive scheme on both plays. Apparently it was called the Victory Cigar.

You’ve got to wonder why - even if that is the play’s real name - Aranda would tell anyone that. After it failed twice and allowed Colorado to win the game in overtime. Maybe he just wasn’t thinking. Maybe he wants out. Whatever the reason, it’s not endearing him to his team’s fans.

And it shows once again that there were worse options out there for Nebraska football. Give Matt Rhule the chance to prove that once and for all.