Is 2026 a Make-or-Break Season for Nebraska Coach Matt Rhule?

Fourth-year coach has support from athletic director, faces skepticism from fans

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule faces an important season in 2026, a season some consider make-or-break. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Does Nebraska coach Matt Rhule face a make-or-break season in 2026, as some have suggested? Maybe the better question is this: Should he?

Guess it depends on who you listen to.

This situation is not unique to Nebraska. After Ohio State lost its fourth consecutive matchup against Michigan in 2024, some called for Buckeyes coach Ryan Day’s head. The Buckeyes went on to win the national championship that season — so Day could breathe again.

Some in the media and fan base believe 2026 is a referendum on Rhule and his future in Lincoln. They believe Rhule’s 19-19 record in three seasons in Lincoln is the very definition of mediocre. They say it’s time for Rhule to fulfill the promise Nebraska saw in him when he was hired.

Others say no. Others say that after seven consecutive losing seasons — the seventh season was Rhule’s first in Lincoln — what he has done is a damn good job. They say he turned around a ship that had lost relevance in the college football world it once conquered. They say he made the Huskers respectable and, yes, winning again with back-to-back 7-6 seasons that included bowl appearances.

So, who is right?

Troy Dannen’s support for Rhule

Nebraska athletic Troy Dannen, the person with the outsized opinion in this discussion one would think, fully endorsed Rhule at the Big Ten spring meetings in May.

Dannen, who did not hire Rhule at Nebraska, joined the Huskers in March 2024. Rhule was hired by Trev Alberts in November 2022. Rhule was extended during the 2025 season after his alma mater, Penn State, fired James Franklin during a season that was collapsing.

Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen, football coach Matt Rhule and associate AD Matt Davidson chat before Huskers' basketball game. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Rhule now is under contract through the 2032 season.

Dannen’s support for Rhule was clear and unambiguous.

“One of the things Nebraska has done that’s harmed itself has been quick to react when things didn’t happen soon enough instead of giving someone a chance who is by definition a program-builder the chance to actually build a program,” Dannen said at the Big Ten spring meetings in May, as reported by ESPN.

“That’s different than inheriting a program that won 10 and then winning 11 the next year. It’s hard. Especially when Matt walked into a program that hadn’t been to a bowl game in 10 years.

“By definition, that’s one of the bottom end of the Power 4 programs he walked into. I think he’s done a great job getting us from A to B. The next hurdle is C.”

Fair enough.

Both Nebraska and Rhule want this to work. In any business, hiring people is one of the most difficult things, with long-lasting effects, a supervisor has to do.

Nebraska wants stability and wants that message to resonate everywhere. The Huskers also want a return to more winning and conference championships, along with every other program.

Rhule having success is a win-win, so to speak, for everyone involved.

What does make-or-break mean?

Make-or-break is in the eye of the beholder. Does make-or-break mean another winning season — even a 7-6 one? With the Huskers’ brutal schedule in 2026, another 7-6 season probably wouldn’t be frowned upon.

Does it mean a signature win? Yes, that would be a start. Such a win — say, over Iowa — would send a positive message to Nebraska stakeholders, players, fans, alumni.

Nebraska linebacker Michael Rose-Ivey (15) tackles Oregon running back Taj Griffin in 2016 Huskers' win at Memorial Stadium. | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

Does it mean a win, finally, over a ranked team? Again, that would be a start. Nebraska hasn’t defeated a ranked opponent since Sept. 17, 2016, when the Huskers beat No. 22 Oregon, 35-32, at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska will get several chances in 2026 to knock off a ranked team.

The Huskers probably will get several chances to knock off a top-10 team this season, for that matter, with their schedule.

Defeating a ranked team should be happening every year — schedule permitting — according to those skeptical about Rhule.

Having a make-or-break season would seem to be more precarious for Rhule with a weak schedule, not a killer one. More was expected in 2025 with a perceived weak schedule and the Huskers went 7-5 in the regular season.

A word of caution from Dannen?

Dannen seemed to set expectations for Rhule at the Big Ten spring meetings. He said Nebraska should be primed for success.

Nebraska AD Troy Dannen supported Matt Rhule at the Big Ten spring meetings in May. | Joseph Cress/For the Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“I think he’s got the staff and the roster,” Dannen said. “Everything around the program that needs to be there, from the board to the president and the donors, everybody being in alignment, we do have that, which gives us a head start.”

Fans can decide what Dannen’s words mean, if anything. Interpretations are free.

Our view? Nebraska is doing everything it can to have a successful football program. The ball is in Rhule’s court.

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.