Scott Satterfield excited to face Matt Rhule, Nebraska in opening week

Cincinnati and Nebraska kick off their respective 2025 college football schedule against each other on Thursday, Aug 28. It’s a matchup between two third-year head coaches, Scott Satterfield and Matt Rhule.

When asked about the matchup, Satterfield appeared excited to face a well-respected coach like Rhule to kick off the season. He sees it as an opportunity for his team to get off to a fast start in 2025.

“He’s an outstanding coach,” Satterfield said at Big 12 Media Days. “He’s come up through the ranks, coached at small schools, coached in the NFL, was a head coach in the NFL. He’s done some great things throughout his career.

“The thing about his teams, they continue to grow and get better and better. I think year three has always been a good year for him in his career. His teams are going to be big, they’re going to be physical, they’re obviously going to be coached well. They’re going to do the little things right. So again, a great test for us to be able to play a team like Nebraska.”

At Rhule’s previous stops, year three equals a massive jump. At Temple, Rhule’s team finished 6-6 (2014) before jumping to 10 wins the next year — his third season coaching the team. His success was well-documented at Baylor. He went from leading the Bears to a 1-11 team in 2017 to winning 11 games two seasons later. Nebraska appears to be on the same trajectory.

At the same time, it gives the Bearcats a stiff test right out of the gates to begin the season in an era where there are growing concerns regarding playing tough non-conference games to begin the season. It’s also a treat for the Cincinnati fanbase who will be attending the game inside Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

“I also think playing a team from another conference, it’s a great measuring stick to see where we’re at compared to their conference,” Satterfield said. “It’s at a neutral site, so you know it’s going to be an outstanding atmosphere for this game. It’ll be full of people, obviously. It’ll be a sell out, and there will be a bunch of people wearing red at this game. So I think It’ll be an awesome atmosphere and a great game have.”

It will be the second meeting all-time between these two programs. The first came all the way back in 1906 where the Cornhuskers defeated the Bearcats 41-0.

Kickoff between the matchup over a century in the making is set for a special Thursday night kickoff ahead of Week 1. The game will be televised on ESPN.