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Matt Rhule's Nebraska Program is the Antithesis of Deion Sanders' Colorado

Matt Rhule and Deion Sanders have two completely different-looking programs right now. One is built on substance, and the other is smoke and mirrors. One is on its way up, the other is crashing down.

Tanner Johnson

Sep 7, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders on the sideline during the first quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
Sep 7, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders on the sideline during the first quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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While watching Nebraska dismantle Colorado on Saturday, one thing was clear. Nebraska and Colorado are two very different programs that have been built in vastly different ways.

At first glance, these two teams may not seem very different from one another. Both teams are led by highly touted quarterbacks with NFL aspirations. Shedeur Sanders is the son of one of the most exciting NFL players of all time and is now a projected first-round pick himself. Dylan Raiola is a five-star phenom who has taken the internet by storm with his similarities to Patrick Mahomes. But that is where most of the similarities between these two teams end.

Colorado gets as much attention as any other team in college football from the national media. They are one of the main talking points on some of the biggest college football analysis shows in the country every single day. Most of that attention is because of Deion Sanders, their superstar head coach. He has brought a level of excitement to Boulder, Colorado, that no one ever thought was possible. But what has he brought to his program other than glamour and a media frenzy?

Colorado struggled mightily in his first season as head coach. They finished with a 4-8 record which was an improvement from 2-10 the previous season, but still not up to the standard that the national hype warranted. This season, they are off to another rough start. They opened the season with a five-point victory over an FCS school and then just got smacked on the road against the first FBS opponent they faced this season. They have now lost their last seven games against FBS opponents dating back to last year.

Contrast all of that with Matt Rhule’s Nebraska program. Like Sanders, He was hired to fix a program that had been wandering in the wilderness for years. Rhule also brings NFL experience with him, although as a coach instead of a player. He has had great success as a college head coach, taking Baylor from 1-11 to 11-3 in just three years there. That success got him an opportunity to lead his own NFL franchise when he was hired to be the Carolina Panthers head coach. He only lasted three seasons there before he was fired, but he did not have much to work with in Carolina. 

He was hired to turn around Nebraska after Scott Frost’s disappointing tenure as the Cornhuskers’ head coach. In his first season, Nebraska went 5-7 and had some ugly losses. One of the ugliest losses was when they were beaten by Colorado 36-14 in Boulder. On that day, it seemed like these two programs were lightyears apart. But just one year later, the script has completely flipped.

Now it seems like these two programs are headed in the complete opposite direction. Colorado has fallen off of a cliff since the start of last season when they were ranked as high as 18th. Now Nebraska is ranked 23rd in this week’s AP poll, the first time they have been ranked in the Matt Rhule era. The way things are looking in Colorado, they will not be ranked again any time soon.

Any outside observer can tell that these programs are being built in completely different ways. After the game, Sanders blamed his offensive line for his performance, while asking "how many times Raiola got touched." It was a bad look from Sanders who needs to be more of a team leader after a tough loss like this.

That postgame presser is a shining example of two different cultures at these two programs. Nebraska has a lot left to prove this season, but it is clearly on a better path than Colorado. After the way Colorado destroyed the Huskers last season, this is a welcome sight for fans to see.

It is a testament to the tremendous job Rhule is doing in Lincoln so far.

MORE: Nebraska's Defense Exposed one of Colorado's Huge Weaknesses

MORE: Following Bud Crawford’s Lead, Nebraska Football Delivers Knockout Blow

MORE: Common Fans: Nebraska Stuffs Colorado in a Locker

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Tanner Johnson
TANNER JOHNSON

Tanner Johnson is a sports writer and journalist who has experience covering multiple sports, collegiate and professional. He reports on a national level using his knowledge of teams from all over the country. He has provided coverage for the Tennessee Titans, Tennessee Volunteers, Arkansas Razorbacks, and Florida State Seminoles. He is also a co-host of Triple Option A College Football Podcast. On this podcast, he provides a national coverage of college football and engages with fans and members of the media.

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