Nebraska was missing many key pieces of its team against No. 15 Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl, and some would say that is why they were thwarted by the Utes 44-22. However, Utah was also missing a lot of key pieces, including their head coach, Kyle Whittingham, who was supposedly just retiring, only to then take the head coaching position at Michigan.
What it comes down to is that Nebraska just could not match the physicality and talent that Utah had, and it showed. Not only was this yet another bowl game loss, but it was another loss to a ranked opponent, adding to a streak Nebraska desperately wants to break.
The loss to No. 15 Utah marked the 30th straight loss the Cornhuskers have suffered at the hands of AP-ranked opponents. This streak dates back to September 2016, so while some may want to place blame on a certain person or coach, there is no blame to place; this is just a flat-out problem for Nebraska.
That feels impossible. https://t.co/zlhtYzO8WJ
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) January 1, 2026
Nebraska must figure out how to beat a ranked team and fast
If Nebraska ever wants to compete for a Big Ten Championship, let alone a National Championship, something needs to change. The Cornhuskers will never be able to take that step forward and compete for bigger trophies if they can't figure out how to beat a ranked opponent.
There was hope that bringing in head coach Matt Rhule would be the fix to everything, but clearly, he has yet to find the solution either. It does Nebraska no good to have a great resume with all these ranked teams on it if they can't figure out how to beat them.
This is a stat that Nebraska would do anything to beat, and the longer it goes on, the more worrisome it becomes. Hopefully, Rhule can find some great players in the portal, and incoming recruits can make a difference going forward for next season.