Four Thoughts on Nebraska's Las Vegas Bowl Matchup vs. Utah

It’s official: Nebraska will play Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl on December 31. After much speculation and reporting that this would be the Huskers’ likely destination and opponent, it was confirmed on Sunday. After a disappointing end to the regular season, the Big Red will have the chance to end the 2025 season on a high note.

With that in mind, here are four thoughts on Nebraska’s Las Vegas Bowl matchup versus Utah.

Vegas, Baby! You have to assume plenty of Husker fans will be interested in traveling to Sin City for this one. Personally, I can only take Vegas in small doses, but I would imagine it’s a pretty good time on New Year’s Eve. Mix in your favorite team playing in a bowl game on top of it? There are plenty of Nebraska fans living in the Western part of the country, and plenty more willing to travel. Does anyone know if there’s still a direct flight from Grand Island?

It’s a safe bet Husker Nation will be well represented on December 31.

That Matchup Though. Welp, welcome to it. The Utes check in at #15 in the country and, at 10-2, are one of the best non-playoff teams in the country. What’s more, they are the #2 rushing team in the nation, averaging nearly 270 yards per game on the ground. To put it mildly, this does not appear to be the most favorable matchup for our beloved Cornhuskers. Did I mention Utah also has a running quarterback?

Nebraska, of course, has struggled to stop the run all season long, especially in their final two games against Penn State and Iowa. They have also had a hard time with running quarterbacks since what seems like the Reagan Administration. This game represents a huge opportunity for the Huskers to get that much sought after win over a ranked team, but to do so, they will have to overcome some of their biggest weaknesses from this season.

So Many Questions. As of this writing, the Nebraska football team has fired defensive coordinator John Butler and offensive line coach Donovan Raiola; all-everything running back Emmett Johnson has declared for the NFL draft; and TJ Lateef finished his last game by playing more than three quarters on a pulled hamstring. There will undoubtedly be more announcements about player departures and transfer portal movement–and possibly additional moves among the coaching staff–between now and the bowl game. To borrow from Crash Davis in the movie Bull Durham, we’re dealing with a lot of s—.

How disruptive will all the coaching staff movement be? Will Lateef be healthy by December 31? Can some young players step up to give the Big Red a shot against the Utes? There are some major questions that will likely not be answered in the run-up to the game.

Celebrate All the Bowl Games. If the way Nebraska’s season ended left a sour taste in your mouth, you have every right to feel that way. In our post-Iowa game episode on the Common Fan Podcast, we were very frustrated (angry?), and things got pretty salty. One could argue there is more uncertainty around Matt Rhule’s program now than there has been at any point in the last three years.

But look, it’s a bowl game. For the second consecutive season. It’s been far too long since that was the norm around the Nebraska football program. And you just never know how these things will play out. There will be plenty of time in the offseason to talk about what went wrong in 2025, and what needs to be better in 2026. But I for one am going to spend the next three weeks consuming all the bowl game content I can get my hands on, and hoping like hell the boys in red can find a way to beat the Utes.

As always, GBR for LIFE.

Tell us what you think, Common Fans. We’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at commonfangbr@gmail.com or find us on YouTube.

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