National Analysts Put Nebraska in the Playoff Picture. Should We Believe Them?

The joke about Nebraska football winning offseason national championships is so overused, you can pick your cliche: the horse is dead, the juice has been squeezed, the wood has been chopped. We’ve done it again, Husker fans.

But this offseason, there’s a twist: there is more than a little chatter about the Big Red having a shot at the College Football Playoff, and it’s mostly coming from out of state. Several national media types are high on the Huskers.

Phil Steele, one of the most respected voices in college football, has named Nebraska among his top surprise teams for 2025—placing them at number 7 on his list. According to Steele," surprise team" means legitimate playoff contender.

“I think Nebraska’s legitimate. When I say a surprise team, that means a playoff contender.” - @philsteele042

Phil Steele believes the Huskers could break out in college football this season.

Presented by @CentrisFCU. pic.twitter.com/i31y2zxteP
— Hurrdat Sports (@HurrdatSports) August 4, 2025

Joel Klatt–Fox color analyst, podcaster, and college football pontificator extraordinaire–ranked Nebraska number 10 among teams most likely to make their first-ever CFP appearance in 2025. He cites the continuity of head coach Matt Rhule entering his third year, plus the development of quarterback Dylan Raiola.

Josh Pate picked Nebraska as the #11 seed in his CFP bracket, matching them up against #6 Notre Dame in the first round. At least one Notre Dame source called that potential outcome a “stunner,” but Pate is a well-respected commentator not known for click bait.

🚨PLAYOFF PICKS🚨 pic.twitter.com/uRNurB7ZFS
— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) August 18, 2025

Still other prognosticators–Geoff Schwartz, Barstool’s Brandon Walker, Big Ten Huddle’s Zack Guggenheim–see the Huskers as having a shot at the CFP.

This is no doubt music to Husker fans’ ears, but what to make of the optimism? Nebraska fans from South Sioux City to Sidney have seen this movie before. We remember recent seasons that began with high hopes, only to run into the blunt reality of Big Ten brutality and shattered expectations. Will 2025 be different?

Certainly, some of the optimism flowing from out of state stems from Matt Rhule’s track record as a college coach. Most Husker fans know the story at this point. In his previous stops at Temple and Baylor, his third year at each respective program was when it all came together. He went from 2-10 (year 1) to 10-4 (year 3) at Temple, and from 1-11 (year 1) to 11-3 (year 3) at Baylor. It seems there is some belief Rhule can take a similar leap in his third year at the helm in Lincoln.

Another major reason the jug of Big Red Kool Aid is seemingly making the rounds among the national media is Dylan Raiola. After a good-but-not-great true freshman season, all eyes will be on the 5-star QB in year 2. With a year of major college football under his belt, and a full offseason with new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, Raiola is expected to take a big step forward in 2025.

The Huskers’ schedule has also been cited as a reason to believe they have a shot to make a run in 2025. Nebraska gets Michigan, USC, and Iowa at home, and they miss 2024 playoff teams Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana entirely.

Now, a cynic might say there are reasons to doubt the optimists. First of all, it’s been a long time since the Huskers have proven it on the field consistently. We all know that. Furthermore, there’s been a lot of change this offseason: three new coordinators, major contributors leaving for graduation, and still other key players heading to the transfer portal.

Yes, you could argue the new coordinators will represent a step up from what Nebraska had before. And fans certainly hope the departed talent has been sufficiently replaced by a combination of transfer portal additions and younger Huskers prepared to make their mark. But amidst all of the turnover and change, a lot needs to go right for the Huskers to make a playoff run.

That’s what a cynic might say. What about the rest of us? Those of us who are hopelessly romantic about Nebraska football and eternally optimistic about the team’s chances? Even the most hopeful among us certainly feels the PTSD of so many failures, close losses, and disappointing seasons of the recent past. Dare we hope that the national prognosticators are right this time?

The realist in me simply says, I don’t know. Is Nebraska a playoff team? Right now, you could make the claim that the answer lies anywhere from “not living in reality” to “hopeful speculation” to “plausible contender.”

But who wants to be a realist? It’s game week, Common Fans. Anything is possible. And there are more than a few folks who pay attention to college football for a living who think the Huskers are poised to turn a corner this year. I sure as hell am not going to argue with that. Let’s go get those Bearcats and make a run at this thing.

Let us know what you think, Common Fans. Send an email to commonfangbr@gmail.com or find us on YouTube. We'd love to hear your contribution to this discussion.

As always, GBR for LIFE.

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