Can Matt Rhule Produce a Fred Hoiberg Season for Nebraska Football in 2026?

The guys kick things off by celebrating the Common Fans’ run to the Final Four of Mike’l Severe’s local podcast bracket challenge. Thanks to an incredible push from the Common Fan community, the pod took down some major names–including the Pick Six Podcast and Nick Bahe’s podcast–before finally losing in a razor-close matchup with the Schick and Nick Podcast. It was shameless, deeply competitive, and wildly fun. In other words: it was perfect.

What should we make of Nebraska’s 2026 projected win total?

The conversation then turns to FanDuel’s early over/under for how many games the Nebraska football team will win in 2026. It opened at 5.5, quickly moved to 6.5, and that number says a lot about where the outside world sees this program right now. The boys dig into what that means, why expectations have dropped so considerably, and whether that might actually be a good thing (at least for now). For once, Nebraska is not winning the offseason. There’s not much hype. There’s not much juice. And maybe, just maybe, that’s better than the annual offseason national championships.

Does Matt Rhule need a Fred Hoiberg season?

Watching Nebraska basketball explode past expectations this year naturally raises the question: can Matt Rhule do the same with football? Fred Hoiberg’s team wasn’t just “better than expected.” It shattered expectations. It changed the conversation. It reset belief in the entire program for years to come. That’s the kind of season Nebraska football badly needs. Not necessarily a playoff run, but a season that feels undeniably different. A season that makes fans stop bracing for disappointment and start believing the trajectory has finally changed.

The fellas wrestle with what that would actually look like. Is 7-5 enough if the team looks better? Is 8-4 the line where people finally exhale? And how much of Nebraska’s long, strange post-Osborne drift is about unrealistic expectations… versus just repeatedly hiring the wrong guys?

Can Husker fans still enjoy the ride?

The episode closes with some love for Nebraska basketball, some NCAA tournament hype, and a reminder that this has been one of the most enjoyable Husker sports years in a long time. The footballization of fandom has made everybody a little insane, but the guys make the case for stepping back and appreciating what’s happening — even while still demanding more from football.

Ending with Gratitude

The crew also reflects on just how invested they got in the aforementioned bracket challenge, and how cool it was to see so many Common Fans show up and vote. There’s a lot of gratitude here — and also a lot of laughing at themselves for how emotionally attached they got to a Twitter poll. But bottomline: we’re so grateful to all the Common Fans who have joined us on this ride, and can’t wait for a lot more fun and frivolity to come!

Check out the episode on YouTube, listen on the Common Fan website, or find it on any audio platform where you get your podcasts.

Or watch now! As always, GBR for LIFE!

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