What to know about Nebraska football in 2026

Kevin McGuire, Nittany Lions WireMon, June 8, 2026 at 10:07 AM UTC·5 min read

There was once a time you could go into a college football season knowing that Nebraska would be one of the top teams in the nation, competing for a national championship. Or, at the very least, Nebraska would be a top conference championship contender. But ever since moving to the Big Ten, that has been far from the norm for the Cornhuskers. Nebraska will enter the 2026 season in search of its first appearance in a College Football Playoff, but are the Cornhuskers ready to take that step this fall, or will there be a few more steps along the way?

Here is a quick look at the Cornhuskers heading into the 2026 season.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

• Record: 7-6 overall, 4-5 Big Ten

• Bowl result: Lost Las Vegas Bowl vs. Utah, 44-22

Nebraska ended its unprecedented bowl drought in 2024 and went into the 2025 season expecting to take another step forward as a program. Instead, the Cornhuskers essentially crashed and burned in the second half of the season by dropping four of its final six regular-season games. The final slide fell in line with a season-ending injury to star quarterback Dylan Raiola in an early November loss to USC. Nebraska's offense clammed up without Railoa leading the way for the remainder of the season.

Nebraska jumped out to a seemingly confidence-boosting start to the season with a neutral-site victory over Cincinnati in the season opener and blowout victories over Akron and Houston Baptist, but the Cornhuskers got a bit of a dose of reality with a tough loss at home to Michigan. Still, Nebraska was 6-2 going into November. A strong finish to the season could have kept Nebraska in the College Football Playoff picture coming down the stretch, but blowout losses to Penn State and Iowa to close out the season were followed by a 22-point loss to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl for another mediocre season record in the final books.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Head coach: Matt Rhule, 4th season

• Record: 66-62 overall, 19-19 with Nebraska

Former Penn Stater Matt Rhule continues to build a reputation for being a program builder, but he is in his toughest test yet as a head coach. After rebuilding Temple and Baylor, the instant results have been lacking in Lincoln as Rhule enters his fourth season on the job. Rhule has helped return Nebraska to the postseason, but Nebraska hopes to see Rhule continue to improve the program in the coming years.

Rhule was instantly mentioned as a potential coaching candidate to replace James Franklin as soon as Penn State made an in-season coaching change last October. Rhule was not exactly quiet about his fondness for Penn State, which left many in the Nebraska circle feeling uncomfortable with the possibility of losing their head coach to the Nittany Lions. But Rhule used that to his advantage by agreeing to a two-year contract extension that will keep him in Lincoln through 2032.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Offensive player to know: Mekhi Nelson, Running Back

The spotlight in Lincoln could easily be placed on the quarterback situation, where UNLV transfer Anthony Colandrea may take over the offense following the transfer departure of Dylan Railoa (to Oregon), but the heart of Nebraska's offense will rely on the ground attack. Mekhi Nelson is the back to watch as he takes over the lead rushing duty in Lincoln following the departure of 1,300-yard rusher Emmett onto the NFL (a fifth-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs). Nelson rushed for 88 yards on 12 carries in Nebraska's bowl game with one touchdown, and he caught 3 passes for 48 yards.

Defensive player to know: Danny Odem III, Cornerback

Nebraska will be utilizing a new defensive scheme this season under new defensive coordinator Rob Aurich, from San Diego State. His 4-2-5 scheme will ideally utilize skills in the backfield to help slow down opposing pass-happy offenses, and having a five-star cornerback on the field is always a plus. Enter Danny Odem III. The five-sar recruit signed with Nebraska in the Class of 2026 over Oklahoma and is expected to be an immediate impact player for the Cornhuskers. Whether he slides into a pivotal role at the start of the season remains to be seen, but keep an eye out for him this season.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Does Penn State face Nebraska in 2026?

Penn State does not face Nebraska this season. Nebraska leads the all-time series with Penn State, 10-9, and the Cornhuskers are 4-2 against Penn State since joining the Big Ten in 2011. Penn State has won two of the last three meetings, with both wins coming at home in Beaver Stadium in 2017 (56-44) and 2025 (37-10).

Barring any potential postseason matchups between the two programs before then, Penn State and Nebraska are not scheduled to see each other on the field again until the 2028 season. Penn State is scheduled to visit Nebraska in 2028 on the Big Ten schedule, with an exact date to be determined.

Home games in all CAPS.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

• September 5 vs. OHIO

• September 12 vs. BOWLING GREEN

• September 19 vs. NORTH DAKOTA

• October 3 vs. MARYLAND*

• October 10 vs. INDIANA*

• October 31 vs. WASHINGTON*

• November 14 at Rutgers*

• November 21 vs. OHIO STATE*

• "*" designates Big Ten Conference game

  Kevin McGuire is the lead writer for Nittany Lions Wire, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on BlueSky, Threads or any of these other platforms.

  Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X and Facebook.

  This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: What to know about Nebraska Cornhuskers football in 2026

  Full 2026 Nebraska football schedule

  September 26 at Michigan State*

October 17 at Oregon*

November 6 (Friday) at Illinois*

November 27 (Friday) at Iowa*