Everything Tim Brando Said About Nebraska Football This Week

After four decades in the broadcast booth, Tim Brando has been around long enough to spot a program on the rise — and he thinks Nebraska might just be turning the corner.

Brando came on the Common Fan Podcast this week. He had plenty to say about the Huskers’ upcoming season, the partnership between Dana Holgorsen and Dylan Raiola, the outlook in the Big Ten, and much more. Make sure to check out the episode, and to read the incredible story he shared with us about Lee Corso's College GameDay audition.

Below is a collection of everything Brando said about Husker football during our interview. (NOTE: some answers have been lightly edited for purposes of clarity and brevity).

On the Outlook for the 2025 Huskers

There are some questions, obviously, with Dana (Holgorsen) coming in to run the offense, with (John) Butler, although a veteran coach at the highest of levels, we've never seen him call a defense. So those are two major changes. I don't have any doubt whatsoever about the Holgorsen effect on Dylan Raiola. I think it's going to be tremendous for him. I do concern myself a little bit with the running game by committee. How is that going to go? You lost some key guys back there. But the schedule, I think, is really one that could be navigated.

On Nebraska’s 2025 Schedule

Nebraska did not make my top 15, but they were very, very close. I think after Illinois, the next team that didn't make it that I would probably have there, and you can replace Illinois with them, is Indiana. But the other team that is just on the cusp, in my opinion, of top 15 material is Nebraska. And one of the reasons for that is the schedule. The schedule is, look, are they going to be close games? Yeah, they're going to be close games. But the notion that you could get to, oh, let's see, let's say you beat Michigan. Okay, let's say that game September 20th goes your way. You're looking at Michigan State coming to you. That's winnable. Got to go to Maryland. Winnable. Minnesota at their place. Could you get to Minnesota undefeated or just with one loss? I think the chances of that are pretty good. So if you're able to do that, and again, none of them are cakewalks. They're all close games. You know, they're not walkovers by any stretch. You’ve got to be at your best. But I think that the program in and of itself, sort of graduated a little at the end of last year. That late rally and doing what you did to win those games, to get yourself bowl eligible and to win the bowl game, I think is added incentive to get you in a good spot this year. Need to stay healthy. Need to keep Raiola healthy. But I definitely think that last year I said you'd have a winning season, get a bowl win. This year I think the potential of getting to ten wins is there. I mean, it is there.

On Whether He Thinks Dylan Raiola Can Take his Game to Another Level in 2025

I do. And, you know…there were times when Satterfield was a little more conservative than you would have liked and maybe more conservative than Raiola needed him to be because he's a dynamic player. The challenge to Raiola this year is, in his quest to make great plays, which he's got the ability to make, he has to be smart and know when to protect the ball, know what the circumstances are, know where the line of scrimmage is and when to protect it and when to sling it. Dana wants to get the ball down the field. He wants them to run it, but he wants to get vertical. You know, that's the way he's always coached the position, going all the way back to his days as an offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State. This is a great get for the Nebraska program to have Dana Holgorsen running Matt's offense.

On Nebraska’s Overtime Loss to Illinois in 2024 (which Brando called)

I've got Illinois in the top 10. I think they're a playoff team because of all the players they've got coming back and a schedule, I think, that suits them. They've got mojo. They've got a lot of mojo that they created, and it all started in that win against Nebraska (in 2024). So, you know, Nebraska, they lost some close games after that, which, by the way, has been the issue for quite a while. I don't need to tell you guys that. I would probably have Nebraska in the same spot where I have Illinois this year were it not for the way that game turned and the loss in overtime on that Friday night. The lingering residue of an early season game for college football is still, even with NIL, even with the portal, it's still an emotional game. It's a far more emotional game than the pro game. And I think some of the issues that Nebraska had in the aftermath of the loss to Illinois…I mean, one loss begets another loss begets another loss. That happens in college football. It happened to Frost ad nauseum. Rhule’s had to get past it. But just getting to that bowl game, getting to that Pinstripe Bowl, doing what you did there really helps. It gives you, I think, added incentive, and a lot of room for growth. And Raiola as a sophomore will be far better than he was as a freshman, and I thought he was a damn good freshman.

On Offensive Coordinator Dana Holgorsen

It's one of the reasons I'm so optimistic about Nebraska. The thing about Dana being an offensive coordinator, it's like he's unchained now. He doesn't have to worry about a lot of those responsibilities that head coaches generally have. Dana sometimes as a head coach could be his own worst enemy by being so honest. As a broadcaster, Dana would talk to us as a head coach like an OC would, with the understanding that what he's saying is never going to be repeated. I think Dana made a mistake a few times by being a little too loose with his honesty as a head coach, not just with us, with the media at large. And from time to time it got him into some trouble, particularly in a major media market like Houston where you've got all these pro franchises and writers that are writing about your team as though you're a pro team too. You don't have that quite as much in Lincoln, Nebraska, and certainly not for the offensive coordinator. So Matt can take all the slings and arrows, and Dana can just go do his job. And I think that frees Dana up to be who he really is and who he's more natural at being and work with the quarterback in a way that only makes Dylan Raiola even more difficult to defend.

On Nebraska Being a Blue Blood

You know how writers are writers. Writers are stirring the pot. That's what they're doing. (They’re saying), “until they (Nebraska) show me something, they are no longer a blue blood.” I have different views on that, because I do care about the history and tradition of the game. You know, to me, what happened in the ‘70s, the ‘80s, and the ‘90s matters. To these writers, whatever they can do to piss you off as a, quote, past blue blood, they'll do, okay? On occasion, I'll do it too. But I'd never do it to Nebraska because I have too many friends in Nebraska and too many buddies of mine here from Nebraska. But I'm with you.

So you’ve got Nebraska as a blue blood? Oh, of course.

On What Comes to Mind When He Thinks of Tom Osborne

Class. I mean, just incredible class. And never shaken. I think of that moment in 1984 when there was no denying he was going to go for two, and yet many coaches would have at least had pause, okay? I mean, let's face it, that's a national championship that you're putting on the line. But Nebraska, Tom Osborne was just, he never thought about not going for two. We're going. Don't tell me coaches don't know what's at stake. They know. Tom Osborne could have kicked that extra point and won the national championship. Simple as that.

As recently as Frosty's first home game back. They were going to play Akron. I came in early, went to practice, and Dr. Tom was there. And I went over and visited with him. He's watching practice, but he still would have a cordial conversation with you, you know, and just a giant of a human being, a hell of a guy. Osborne, his relationship with (Barry) Switzer, who was really, I mean, think about what Nebraska didn't get accomplished solely because of Oklahoma and how great that offense was that he had, that Barry had. And yet Osborne always treated Switzer with tremendous class. There was never really any animosity whatsoever. And that just speaks a lot of the man. You know, it really does. Osborne's kryptonite was Oklahoma, when you think about it. And yet there was a lot of respect that Tom always had for those that he opposed in coaching and even those that conquered him. You know, that's what I think about with Tom.

On the Favorite to Win the Big Ten

Well, Ohio State, even with the changes at quarterback, I just think they're too deep, too strong, and there’s one name and one name only: Jeremiah Smith. Who can defend him? He's one of those guys. You just put it up there, he goes and gets it. Now, will Ohio State lose? We're going to see multiple-loss teams win national titles now. The Buckeyes lost two last year and won it, right? You’ve got to be built for the long haul now to win a national championship. By that, I mean you can have a bad game, and still rebound from it and get into the field of 12 or 16 and win the damn thing. But you have to be deep and you have to be really good and well coached. And I think Ohio State is all of those things.

But in the Big Ten, the other team, there's several teams that can give Ohio State fits. We know that they've had issues with Michigan. Illinois is a tough out. Indiana is going to be even better offensively with (new quarterback Fernando) Mendoza. He's a big-time talent. He's better than Rourke, who was as good of a newcomer as you had in the Big Ten (last year). There's so many good teams in the Big Ten. It's becoming more and more like the SEC in the sense that other teams, the middle of the pack, the Nebraskas, the Indianas, the Illinois, teams that have not been in the mix are now going to be in the mix. And so those are the teams that I think you have to keep an eye on out of the Big Ten Conference. And is there a spoiler alert out there somewhere? Yeah, and I'll tell you who I think that team is. They'll likely beat somebody and spoil their season, and that's Rutgers. Greg Shiano's team is a team you don't want to play early. And I think they've got a critical game against Iowa the fourth week of the season. Iowa's returning a lot of guys. And this kid they brought in from South Dakota, the quarterback, is pretty good. I'll be interested to see, in Tim Lester's second year as OC, how much better they get in terms of scoring points. Will they get better? Iowa's defense is going to be, as you know, what Parker's defenses always are. But Rutgers is a spoiler this year. Keep an eye on that team to maybe win eight games or so, and some of them might be significant wins.

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