Gophers-Nebraska preview: Players to know, pivotal matchups and a prediction

Minnesota-Nebraska has been a growing rivalry since the Cornhuskers joined the conference in 2011. The Gophers will look to make it six straight wins over Big Red this week, as they welcome the 25th-ranked team in the country to Huntington Bank Stadium on Friday night. Here's what you need to know.

Year three of the Matt Rhule era

Nebraska is routinely one of the most talked-about programs during the college football offseason, and that was no different this year. Rhule has had huge turnarounds in the third year of his time at Temple and Baylor, so many people speculated we could see the same thing this year in Lincoln.

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

A 5-1 start to the season is Nebraska's best in years, so some of the hype is beginning to seem warranted. They face another big hurdle this week, as Rhule looks to become the first Nebraska head coach to win in Minneapolis since Mike Riley in 2015.

Subscribe: Sign up to receive the free Gophers On SI newsletter

How good is Dylan Raiola?

Raiola was a five-star recruit in the class of 2024. The 247Sports Composite ranked him as the 21st-best overall player and the No. 3 QB, behind Ohio State's Julian Sayin and Florida's DJ Lagway, and 53 spots above No. 56-ranked Drake Lindsey. We're now 19 starts into his college football career, and he has proven himself as an above-average starter, but he has yet to hit that true five-star potential.

The internet will point out his weird Patrick Mahomes impersonation, but he's a talented QB in his own right. He has completed 73.4% of his passes this season for 1,591 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. He will head into this week's game against Minnesota fresh off one of the most chaotic performances of his career with 260 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions, but he pulled out a close 34-31 win on the road at Maryland.

Outside distractions

Latest betting odds view Minnesota as more than a touchdown underdog in Friday night's game, but there are a lot of outside circumstances that might help out the Gophers. Lincoln to Minneapolis is a short trip for the Huskers, but it will be their second road game in a row on a short week, after last week's trip out west to Maryland.

The biggest distraction of them all will be Rhule's connection to the Penn State head coaching vacancy. As a former Nitanny Lions player and good friend of AD Pat Kraft, Rhule will continue to be rumored as a top candidate, which can always be a distraction for a college football team.

Keys to the game

Nebraska's offense has made significant improvements from last season. With 310.2 passing yards per game, their aerial attack ranks ninth-best in college football, which is the most prolific Minnesota has faced this season.

Minnesota's clearest path to win this game might be running the football, which is something it hasn't done all season. The Cornhuskers' run defense has allowed 151.3 yards per game this season, which ranks 81st in college football. Their pass defense ranks No. 1 in the entire country with only 118 yards allowed per game.

The Gophers haven't done it since the first week of the season, but they will need to get their running game going if they want any chance of picking up their second straight victory. I think this one will be closer than the experts believe, but Nebraska makes one more big play to find its first win over Minnesota since 2018.