Nebraska in 'Search' as Nightmare November Looms for Matt Rhule

Getty

CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Matt Rhule of the Nebraska Cornhuskers looks on against the Illinois Fighting Illiniduring the first half at Gies Memorial Stadium on November 06, 2026 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

The Nebraska Cornhuskers haven’t been a great team at any point during Matt Rhule’s tenure as head coach.

But it gets worse in November. It might best if Nebraska fans covered their eyes and didn’t note on their calendar that yep, we’re smack dab in the middle of that month now.

Rhule’s record with the Cornhuskers has many fans wondering if his tenure in Lincoln should be over.

If past Novembers are any indication, it’s not going to get any better.

Matt Rhule November Record

GettyCHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS – NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Matt Rhule of the Nebraska Cornhuskers looks on against the Illinois Fighting Illiniduring the first half at Gies Memorial Stadium on November 06, 2026 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Rhule has a 2-11 record at Nebraska in November prior to the Cornhuskers’ next game on Nov. 14.

That’s brutal.

When teams are chasing spots in good bowl games or even in conference championship games, Nebraska under Rhule has been floundering.

It adds up in one way — November is full of conference games, oftentimes difficult ones. The Cornhuskers haven’t kept pace in the Big Ten.

But it’s still the kind of mark that feels almost inexcusable. Can Nebraska close a season strong even once?

This month could go a long way toward determining the future outlook of Rhule. The Cornhuskers face Rutgers, Ohio State and Iowa to close things out. They’ll be heavy underdogs against the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes. Rhule is going to have to work hard to reverse his trend.

Nebraska in ‘Search’ for Something

GettyLINCOLN, NEBRASKA – OCTOBER 31: Head coach Matt Rhule of the Nebraska Cornhuskers reacts to a call during the game against the Washington Huskies during the first half at Memorial Stadium on October 31, 2026 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)

The Athletic’s Mitch Sherman wrote this week that Nebraska is in a “search” to find its way out of the “wilderness.”

Yep, that’s what things are feeling like in Lincoln at the moment.

This was Sherman’s full blurb, which was headlined “Are the Huskers going to find their way out of the wilderness?”:

“Matt Rhule sits one game above .500 (24-23) in his fourth season with the Huskers. If his November record at Nebraska (2-11) holds through this month, his tenure in Lincoln won’t look better than the Mike Riley and Bill Callahan eras. It was supposed to be different this time, but Nebraska continues to search for something that the program can call its brand of football. It’s been this way, basically, for 21 of the past 23 years.”

Nebraska isn’t what it once was. Rhule was hoped to be the guy to bring the Cornhuskers back, but that hasn’t happened. Now what?