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Nebraska's Matt Rhule Reiterates Big Ten-NFL Comparison, Getting Four Teams into College Football Playoff

After coming under fire for comments last month about the Big Ten and the College Football Playoff, the Huskers' head coach doubled down on "The Jim Rome Show" about the strength of his league.

Enrique Alvarez-Clary

Jul 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule speaks during Big Ten Football Media Days at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Jul 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule speaks during Big Ten Football Media Days at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports
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Lanes be damned.

With the expansion of the College Football Playoff from four to 12 teams, the Big Ten Conference and SEC are expected to earn a lion’s share of the playoff spots with the strength of both leagues. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule at Big Ten Media Days in July went so far as to say the Big Ten should be getting a third of the teams in the field.

"I think four teams from this league should get in the College Football Playoff every year," Rhule said. "This is the best league. This is the NFL of college football in my mind. We stretch from coast to coast in different time zones."

Following his comments, SEC analyst Paul Finebaum fired back at the Huskers coach while on the ESPN program “Get Up.”

"Matt, stay in your lane! Job one, win enough games to get to some stupid bowl game," Finebaum said. "Don’t worry about the big boys, because you’re not one of them."

Monday, as a guest on "The Jim Rome Show," Rhule didn’t flinch when asked about his comments in regard to comparing the league his team plays in with the National Football League. Show host Jim Rome asked Rhule what makes the Big Ten the best conference in his mind, even above the SEC.

"At the end of the day I never would disparage another league," Rhule said. "The SEC is a tremendous league and I think, moving forward, when we go to a 14-team playoff, if that happens, I think you’ll see four Big Ten and four SEC teams every year."

"I’m going to represent our league because I’m in it," Rhule continued. "When you combine weather, travel and different styles of play, you see a league unlike any other."

In the same breath, Rhule mentioned that the college football landscape has never seen a league that would have teams travel through so many time zones in order to play conference opponents, similar to NFL teams.

Although Rhule continues to praise the Big Ten in terms of being the best conference in college football, the Associated Press preseason poll has more SEC teams ranked, as eight Southeastern Conference teams appear in the top 25, with Georgia leading the way at No. 1. The Big Ten has six.

However, the Big Ten can reply with the fact that each conference has four teams inside the top 10: Georgia, Texas, Alabama and Ole Miss for the SEC and Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State and Michigan for the Big Ten.

The college football season begins this week but the Huskers won't see the field until Aug. 31, with their matchup against the UTEP Miners. That game will be played inside Memorial Stadium, with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. CDT and airing on FOX.

You can watch the full "Jim Rome Show," including appearances from Rhule and legendary broadcaster Bob Costas, below.

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Enrique Alvarez-Clary
ENRIQUE ALVAREZ-CLARY

Enrique Alvarez-Clary, better known as Rico, is the Assistant Program Director at 93.7 The Ticket in Lincoln, Nebraska as well as the Executive Producer for the Supernovas Radio Network which broadcasts every Omaha Supernovas match during the inaugural season of the Professional Volleyball Federation. A native of Nebraska, Rico first graduated from the prestigious Bellevue West High School and went on to graduate from the University of Nebraska-Kearney where he also competed in Track & Field. Being behind the scenes for so long, Enrique has shifted into a more on-air role co-hosting the "Happy Hour" and lending his voice to many other shows on 93.7. Enrique focuses his coverage of Nebraska on football, volleyball, mens & womens basketball, softball, and track and field. When Enrique isn't covering Huskers Athletics you can find him hanging out with his wife Rachael and their two children Elliot (daughter) and Kade (son). Rico can be reached at rique2688@gmail.com or on Twitter/X @RadioRicoAC

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