Joel Klatt goes in depth on Nebraska, how likely they are to make first College Football Playoff in 2025

Matt Rhule is entering his third season with Nebraska. Joel Klatt believes it could be a fruitful one for the Cornhuskers, where they make an unexpected run at the College Football Playoff.

Now, the FOX Sports analyst isn’t outright predicting it, but he’s thinking it’s possible. He ranked Nebraska within the top ten in regard to teams that could make their first CFP appearance in 2025 (albeit at No. 10), and he explained why on the latest episode of The Joel Klatt Show.

“They were right there in a bunch of games last year. They went 2-5 in one-score games. Can they turn it around? They probably can,” Klatt stated. “They’re going to have a returning quarterback in Dylan Raiola, who was just a true freshman. He made a lot of mistakes last year, but remember, you get some experience going and you get the continuity of having your coach back now with Matt Ruhle, I think that they can probably take a little bit of a jump.

“You look at their year last year, it was progress. Year Two with Ruhle was almost really good, except for those one-score games, which I know you could be saying forever for Nebraska, but they snapped that seven-year streak without a bowl. That’s progress. Historically for Matt Ruhle, Year Three has been a jump. You look at what he did at Temple, what he did at Baylor — he won at least 10 in Year Three at both locations. Is that a possible jump this year?

“He’s got an experienced quarterback. They upgraded at the wide receiver position from last year. … To me, it all comes down to schedule. They’ve got a real shot to be 7-1 in their first eight games going into November. 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. … You look at that Nov. 1 USC game, that’s the one that I’ll be kind of looking at.

“If they can get past USC, even if Michigan were to beat them, even if Penn State were to beat them, You’re like, ‘Okay, you know, do we have a chance at 10-2? I think 10-2 Nebraska probably goes. As long as they don’t stub their toe, they could be playing some meaningful games in November.”

As Klatt pointed out, there are a lot of things working in Nebraska’s favor. They have a bit of a favorable schedule, and it’s possible quarterback Dylan Raiola could take another large step forward. Still, they’re going to have to get it done on the field. That’s where it’s going to count.

Whether Nebraska is able to make the College Football Playoff remains to be seen. It might seem like a stretch, but Joel Klatt isn’t counting out the Cornhuskers. Maybe the rest of the college football world will follow suit.