Can Gophers take advantage of Rhule-Penn State rumor distraction vs. Nebraska?

Nebraska could face a lot of distractions this week against the Gophers.

Oct 11, 2025; College Park, Maryland, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule walks the sidelines during the game against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Penn State's decision to fire longtime head coach James Franklin on Sunday could shake up the college football world. It might start this week with a huge distraction heading into Friday's Nebraska-Minnesota game.

Many pundits, reporters and analysts have already identified Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule as a potential candidate for the Nittany Lions' vacancy. He played linebacker at Penn State, he's an East Coast guy, and he's good friends with current Penn State AD Pat Kraft, who was the AD at Temple when Rhule was the head coach there. The connections are real.

I think Matt Rhule is the next head coach at Penn State. I also think there are two other candidates who would seriously consider the job and are better options. Wrote about that and plenty more in B1G Time.https://t.co/NvoNhCpGEu pic.twitter.com/tcudaPzgYS

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) October 14, 2025

"I'm not going to talk a lot about job openings when they come. Maybe it's been a while here, but this is what happens when you win. I dealt with it when we won at Temple, and I dealt with it all the time at Baylor," Rhule said at his weekly press conference on Monday.

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"I'm not going to talk about those things ever. I'm not going to talk about my contract here; I'm going to talk about the team. I absolutely love it here. I want us to continue to take the steps needed for us to turn this thing into a beast. ... I'm really happy here."

College head coaches have made empty promises before leaving for other jobs in the past, so it's a notable storyline and theoretically a potential distraction heading into this week's Minnesota-Nebraska matchup.

Rhule is currently in his third season at Nebraska and he has the Cornhuskers ranked No. 25 in the country. This isn't his first time dealing with job rumors. He experienced it in 2016 before he left Temple for Baylor, and then again in 2019 before he left Baylor for the Carolina Panthers in the NFL.

The latest betting odds view Nebraska as more than a touchdown favorite in Friday night's game at Huntington Bank Stadium, but does that factor in Rhule's team wondering if he'll be in Lincoln beyond the 2025 season?

Nebraska is the first ranked opponent to play at Huntington Bank Stadium this season, and the Gophers will need to find every advantage they can get. They could be catching the Cornhuskers at the perfect time in their second road game in a row after last week's trip to Maryland, with Rhule's long-term future looming over the program.