What's a Good Season for Nebraska Football in 2025?

On this week's Saturday Morning Coffee Show, Jack Mitchell and Josh Peterson took questions from subscribers.

One of them is something they'll be asking for the next several months: What would make for a good football season in 2025? They discussed records, vibes, coaches, and players.

Below is a lightly edited transcript of their conversation on the podcast.

Josh: It's a successful season if they could enter November in the playoff race, realistically. Which means I think 6-2. I think if you enter November 6-2, I guess then they could go 0-4 and that'd be a [crappy] season. I would just love to talk about a team in November where I'm listening to [Kings of the North] and they're like, “wow, look at Nebraska! It’s going to be tough, but if they go 4-0, they're going to be a playoff team!” I think that that would mark a successful season.

Nebraska Head Coach Matt Rhule and quarterback Dyaln Raiola look up at the scoreboard during the 2024 Illinois game. — Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule and quarterback Dyaln Raiola look up at the scoreboard during the 2024 Illinois game. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Jack: Maybe when I said seven, I think that's just the bare minimum that I wouldn't be like screaming, “OK, it's time to really, really change things.” But if you wanted me to come out and say that felt like a successful season. Yeah, you're probably right. Eight [wins], beat Iowa, and freaking upset someone. And I'm not including Iowa. Go in and beat Michigan. I don't know who the other upsets would be.

Here's a question. How many opportunities are there even for that to pull off a significant upset

Josh: On paper right now, certainly Michigan. They'll be a dog [at] Penn State. Maybe USC. I don't know, man. I would love to see the SP+ for some of these early games. Like honestly, maybe that's an exercise I'll do before our pod next week. I'll create some point spreads because they're at Maryland, they're at Minnesota. Those could certainly be short road favorites, right? They're favored against Cincinnati already. Maybe at UCLA.

Jack: Is this schedule weaker than last year?

Josh: John had a thing yesterday though, about how Nebraska has the fourth easiest schedule in the Big Ten, according to Bill Connelly. Not to get everybody too hyped. Fourth easiest schedule in the conference and one of the easiest schedules in the Power Four.

Jack: There are 2.5 games where they are clear underdogs, maybe just two. This isn't me pumping Nebraska up. I'm just saying based on what we know now; maybe Minnesota would be too, but I don't consider going into Minnesota a program proud win. I would say that's Michigan and at Penn State and maybe Southern Cal. That's it. Yeah.

Watch the entire clip below.

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