Nebraska Football's Matt Rhule Talks Coaching at 'Iconic' L.A. Coliseum

Rhule will have an opportunity to coach a game inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and Nebraska football will face off against new conference rival USC.

Oct 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; A general overall view as Southern California Trojans players enter the field before the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

College football is much different in 2024 than it was a season ago.

Conference realignment has changed the way college football works and the matchups that happen every weekend. On Saturday, Nebraska travels to Los Angeles, California to take on USC. In years past, this would have been a very special nonconference matchup between two historic programs, but in 2024, this is a conference game. It is the first time these two storied programs will meet as Big Ten opponents.

The Huskers’ Matt Rhule also has a chance to coach in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the first time as a head coach. One of the most iconic locations in all of sports, the Coliseum has hosted many classic games and seen moments that will never be forgotten. For Rhule, it will also be a return to a place he's been before.

“I was there as a graduate assistant at UCLA, and UCLA had had beaten USC like five times in a row,” Rhule said Thursday. “It was Pete Carroll's first year and they were struggling a little bit and then we went there and they beat us. I think it was the second-to-last game of the year because of 9/11. Then they were off and running. It was a great experience the first time… I mean it's it's an iconic place, a lot of history… obviously there's been great coaches, great players. It's the new world of college football and it's great to be a part of.”

Hopefully for the Huskers, Rhule will win his head coaching debut in this iconic venue. If Nebraska can knock off USC, it will clinch the program's first bowl game appearance since the 2016 season.

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