Friend of the program and fellow Common Fan Nic Olsen joins the crew as they dissect the 2026 Nebraska football schedule. It’s never too early to look ahead, and the coming season is a doozy. Can the Huskers break through with a win over a highly ranked team? Or any ranked team? Can they avoid slip-ups against teams they “should” beat? Can they finally get the Hawkeye off their back? We discuss it all in this fun and frivolous episode full of lots of laughs and yes, even a little bit of hope.

Is the non-conference slate “boring”… or exactly what Nebraska needs?

Ohio, Bowling Green, and North Dakota aren’t going to sell out your emotional bandwidth like a Colorado or Oklahoma home-and-home — but the Common Fans make the point: in the playoff era, wins are more important than anything else. We talk about the Solich Bowl (and whether Frank shows up wearing a half-Ohio/half-Nebraska shirt), the eternal danger of MAC teams knocking off Power 4 teams, and what we hope to see in the first three contests of the year, before the reality of Big Ten play smacks us in the face.

Can Nebraska get to 6 wins with room to spare?

We zero in on the true “must-win” Big Ten tier — Michigan State, Maryland, and Rutgers — and debate what “take care of business” actually looks like for a program still searching for consistency. Matty breaks down the “who do they play the week before?” logic, Nic brings the MAC scouting report like a true sicko, and TJ lays out the uncomfortable truth: if you can’t beat the teams you’re supposed to beat, even a bowl game might be in jeopardy.

What does “prove it” look like in Year 4 of Matt Rhule?

It’s been a common theme for the Common Fans this offseason: Nebraska fans are tired of offseason championships and moral victories. We talk about identity (does Nebraska even know who it is?), the portal/fresh staff reality, and why the bar in 2026 isn’t “be competitive.” It’s “win one you’re not supposed to.” That leads straight into the monster stretch: Indiana (yes, the national champs), Oregon in Eugene, and Ohio State coming to town.

Is this schedule actually as impossible as everyone is acting like it is?

Here’s the core thesis: if Nebraska does what it should do — win the non-conference games and beat Michigan State/Maryland/Rutgers — you’re sitting at 6 wins (understanding that Nebraska football is not in a place to take anyone for granted). From there, how many wins can they get against the following: Washington, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Oregon, and Ohio State. The Common Fans argue Nebraska fans shouldn’t preemptively accept mediocrity just because the schedule looks scary in February.

And finally…Nebraska needs to beat Iowa.

We don’t sugarcoat it. The frustration is real, the history is painful, and the “we should have won” list is long enough to qualify as an audiobook. MattyO calls it the thorn in the paw. Nic says the quiet part out loud: “If you can’t beat Iowa, what are we doing here?” Geoff brings the November doom. TJ admits he needs to see it before he can pick it.

This episode is part coping mechanism, part therapy session, and part offseason adrenaline shot. We go game-by-game, talk ourselves into optimism, talk ourselves back out of it, and then somehow end up planning a group trip to Oregon for the big one against the Ducks.

Check out the episode on YouTube, listen on the Common Fan website, or find it on any audio platform where you get your podcasts.

As always, GBR for LIFE!

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