Matt Rhule finally wins the battle at Nebraska but still fighting the war

Matt Rhule has accomplished the one thing Nebraska fans hoped he would when he was hired and that was to turn the program around. With Saturday’s win, he has Nebraska bowl-eligible for the first time since 2016. 

It’s a step in the right direction for a program starving to be good again. The Cornhuskers went through grueling years with Scott Frost and it seemed Lincoln was where coaching careers went to die. Rhule has since changed that narrative, for now. 

But it doesn’t make his job any easier because now it’s about sustained success. And it’s about retaining the best roster he can. Which might be more difficult if rumors of Dylan Raiola transferring come to a head. 

Rhule accomplished one thing he wanted, but it might cost him his quarterback. 

Dylan Raiola’s future at Nebraska is still unclear, making Matt Rhule’s job a little more difficult

Raiola had an odd route to Nebraska after he committed to both Ohio State and Georgia before landing in Lincoln. And his true freshman year hasn’t been as consistent as he would like. Entering Saturday, he had just over 2,110 yards and 11 touchdown passes with 10 interceptions.

Because he isn’t quite impacting the offense like he’d want to and an active transfer portal ahead, it could force his hand to play at a bigger program that will develop him. 

According to Robin Washut of HuskerOnline during an appearance on College Sports on SiriusXM, there’s belief that if Rhule doesn’t do more to help out Raiola, there’s a chance he leaves Nebraska after just one year. 

This means while Rhule can celebrate having a better second season already than he did a year ago, it also means his job becomes harder to repeat that success. If Raiola leaves, he has his work cut out to replace him quickly. 

If he wants Raiola to stay, he’ll have to get better recruits and better offensive minds together on his staff to develop Raiola how he wants. Rhule’s job is far from over. And as rumors around his quarterback circulate, next season could feel more like a step back than progress forward.