Top Analyst Predicts Nebraska Football Could Reach its First College Football Playoff

The Huskers have a chance to reach the playoff for the first time, according to Joel Klatt.

Nebraska running back Rahmir Johnson holds the ball high after scoring in the 2024 Pinstripe Bowl. He is returning for the 2025 season. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Nebraska football hasn't played on the sport’s biggest stage in decades, but one of college football’s most respected voices thinks that could change soon.

FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt recently ranked the Huskers No. 10 on his list of teams most likely to make their first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff.

Which 10 teams have a chance to make their first CFP in 2025? 🤔@joelklatt shares his list. pic.twitter.com/MT9WPMmkh0

— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) July 7, 2025

While it might sound like a bold prediction for a program still finding its footing under head coach Matt Rhule, Klatt sees the pieces beginning to align in Lincoln.

“Nebraska is gonna check in at number 10,” Klatt said. “They were right there in a bunch of games last year. They went 2-5 in one-score games. Can they turn it around? Yeah, they probably can.”

Much of Klatt’s optimism centers around continuity. With Rhule returning for his third year and five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola entering his second season, the Huskers may finally have the stability they’ve lacked for years.

“They're going to have a returning quarterback in Dylan Raiola, who was just a true freshman, so you could say he made a lot of mistakes last year,” Klatt said. “But remember, you get some experience going, and you get the continuity of having your coach back now for Matt Rhule, I think that they can probably take a little bit of a jump.”

Quarterback Dylan Raiola now has a full season of college football experience under his belt. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Klatt also acknowledged that Nebraska’s 2024 season was closer to a breakthrough than it may have appeared on the surface. There were too many games that the Huskers let slip away. Turn some of those results around in 2025, and there could be a stark difference in the overall record at the end of the year.

Looking ahead, the Huskers’ schedule could be a key factor in making a playoff run.

“To me, now it comes down to schedule. They've got a real shot to be 7-1 in their first eight games going into November,” Klatt said. “Now, will they be? I'm not sure—they're going to have to win some of those close games, which historically has been a real issue for Nebraska.”

Klatt pinpointed one matchup as the possible turning point of the season.

The USC game could be a key to the Huskers' playoff chances. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

“The key game for me is that USC game,” he said. “Then you look at the ending of their schedule. If they can get past USC… now you look at that Iowa game, and now you're like, ‘Do we have a chance at 10-2?’ I think 10-2 Nebraska probably goes (to the playoff).”

While there’s still work to do, Klatt’s take is clear: if Nebraska can flip the script in close games and build on last year’s progress, the College Football Playoff is within reach.

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