Tim Brando is Still Buying What Matt Rhule is Building at Nebraska

It has felt like there's no shortage of angst among Nebraska football fans this offseason. The Huskers improved their regular season record by one win last year, but an 0-3 finish – punctuated by an ugly bowl loss – didn't exactly send Husker Nation into the offseason overflowing with optimism.

Legendary college football broadcaster Tim Brando understands the frustration. But when he joined us recently on the Common Fan Podcast, he also offered an important reminder for Nebraska fans who may be wondering whether Matt Rhule will eventually get the program where everyone wants it to go.

"He’s done it before."

Brando acknowledged that Rhule's rebuild hasn't happened as quickly at Nebraska as it did at Temple or Baylor. But he also believes the circumstances are considerably different. For one, Nebraska is playing in what Brando believes is currently the best conference in college football. "(The) Big Ten is the best conference in America right now,” he said. “Top to bottom."

Brando went so far as to compare the current Big Ten to the SEC during its dominant stretch, when four different schools from that conference combined to win seven national championships in eight years. Had Rhule taken over at Nebraska during an earlier era of the Big Ten, Brando believes the climb might have happened faster. Instead, the Huskers are trying to rebuild at the same time the conference has become a weekly gauntlet.

That doesn't mean Nebraska should be satisfied. But Brando believes some patience with Rhule is warranted. "I think that…if you're the Nebraska fan base and you've waited this long, it would be foolhardy to turn on him now. Because he's got a track record for success."

Nebraska Has to Develop an Identity

At Temple and Baylor, Rhule's teams became known for toughness. More importantly, they got better as seasons went along. Nebraska hasn't consistently done that.

Brando was on the call for last year's UCLA game, and he mentioned that game as an example of what Nebraska can look like when things click. The Huskers played well on both sides of the ball and came away with a quality road win. As Big Red fans know all too well, the problem has been what happens after games like that.

"The inability for them to follow up when they're really playing well with a pattern that says, okay, we're going to get better and better and better, just hasn't been there."

That point really resonated with me. One week the Huskers look like they might finally be turning the corner. The next week, they look like a completely different football team.

Brando believes Nebraska has recognized some of those shortcomings. He likes the changes on defense, including a new coordinator and a scheme that should help the Huskers maximize their roster. He also identified the offensive line–where the Huskers brought in a new position coach and three transfers expected to compete for starting jobs–as an area where the team has to improve. The question is whether those changes finally produce something Nebraska has desperately lacked: consistency.

Brando Likes What Anthony Colandrea Brings to Lincoln

One of the biggest changes for Nebraska this season, of course, comes at quarterback. Anthony Colandrea arrives in Lincoln after winning Mountain West Player of the Year at UNLV, and Brando saw enough of him last season to come away impressed. He described Colandrea as a "wrecking crew" and believes he brings an element to the Husker offense that we haven’t seen in recent years.

Brando also thinks the move to Nebraska makes sense for the next phase of Colandrea's career. After proving himself in the Mountain West, Colandrea now gets an opportunity to test himself every week against Big Ten competition.

So How Good Can Nebraska Be?

Brando believes another step forward is realistic. “I would say right now, just looking at the schedule, the number eight fits. I think 8-4 fits.”

Given where the program has been, and given that 2026 arguably represents the toughest schedule in years, my guess is many Husker fans would be thrilled with 8-4. Getting there, however, requires Nebraska to stop losing games it should win. Brando specifically pointed back to last year's loss at Minnesota, one of three Husker games he called during the 2025 season: "The Minnesota game was ugly."

Nebraska couldn't block anybody. The Huskers never looked comfortable. And while Minnesota deserves credit, it was exactly the kind of performance Nebraska can't afford if it wants to move into the upper half of the Big Ten.

Brando noted that had Nebraska won that game and reached eight victories before the bowl, the entire perception of the season might have been different.

I’m not sure I agree with that statement; the way the season ended, with Nebraska not even looking competitive in its final three games, had a lot to do with the feeling in the fanbase this offseason. But it’s a fair point about the Huskers needing to show up in games they “should” win, or at least should be competitive in.

The Schedule Matters More Than Ever

Brando is high on Penn State in 2026 in large part because their schedule avoids some of the Big Ten's biggest landmines. Then he offered a comparison that might get Nebraska fans' attention: "If Nebraska had Penn State's schedule, I'd probably have them in the top 15 where I have Penn State."

That's a pretty remarkable statement. It doesn't mean Brando thinks Nebraska is a top-15 team right now. He doesn't. In fact, he described the Huskers as being on the fringe of the top 25 entering the season.

But it illustrates just how much schedule strength can shape the narrative around a program. Nebraska gets Indiana, Oregon, and Ohio State. It also gets games against Illinois, Washington and Iowa, programs Nebraska fans view as teams the Huskers should be able to compete with if this rebuild is actually working.

Eventually, Nebraska has to start winning some of those games.

It's Time to Take the Next Step

Brando's assessment probably lands somewhere between the optimists and pessimists in Husker Nation. He believes in Matt Rhule. He likes Anthony Colandrea. He sees reasons to think changes on the offensive line and defense could help. He also thinks Nebraska is rebuilding at a uniquely difficult time, with the Big Ten as deep and talented as it has ever been. But none of that changes the ultimate expectation.

Nebraska has to get better. Not just from one season to the next. From September to November. From one Saturday to the next. That's been the missing piece. Eight wins would be progress. Nine would be a significant statement.

And if Nebraska can finally establish the identity and week-to-week consistency that defined Rhule's previous rebuilds, maybe 2026 is the year the conversation around the program finally starts to change.

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