Locked On Nebraska - Daily Podcast on the Nebraska Cornhuskers

It’s a special Tuesday for us at the Locked On Nebraska podcast. We’re celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Locked On Podcast Network with an episode that feels appropriate for mid-June – just as the heat starts to build ahead of training camp and Big Ten media days next month.

We are counting down 10 topics that are sure to move the meter in 2026, 10 issues for Matt Rhule’s Nebraska football program that will keep fans and media talking throughout the season ahead. What’s No. 1? Join us for the full countdown. 

What day is it? We’re back to start another week, weary but full of excitement after the opening weekend of the College World Series and all kinds of excitement in the sporting world,  nationally and locally. Nebraska football picked up two more commitments, including a flip. There was a flavor of barbeque with the latest additions. Another big weekend of visits on campus awaits. What can Matt Rhule and the Huskers still accomplish in June? 

We are remembering George Darlington, the 30-year Nebraska football assistant who passed away on Sunday. Darlington was one of a kind, in h...

We’re here on this glorious College World Series Friday to answer your questions in a mailbag episode. We start with deep thoughts about the proliferation of gambling and its impact on sports as college football grapples with the Brendan Sorsby issue at Texas Tech. Are we part of the problem?

What if you could pick the teams for Nebraska’s new, make-believe conference? If the Huskers are doing everything right in NIL, how do things look when a program does it wrong? Could Nebraska have altered the course of its recent football history just by winning a fe...

Big Ten powers rally against Texas Tech over Brendan Sorsby’s controversial eligibility fight. As the Red Raiders attempt to play Sorsby despite NCAA regulations, Big Ten schools refuse all non-conference competition, igniting a heated debate about integrity, NIL chaos, and the role of judges in college football. Is this a Texas Tech scandal, an NCAA crisis, or a sign the sport is spinning out of control? The Locked On Big Ten Squad breaks down why Sorsby’s 9,000 betting violations set off a conference-wide backlash, if conferences—not the NCAA—hold the real power, and how coaches like Joey McGuire...

Big movement on Wednesday in recruiting rankings. Nebraska commitment Trae Taylor jumped to the No. 1 spot among quarterbacks on the 247 Sports list. That’s a big deal. He’s a big deal. The Chicago-area transplant, gearing up for his senior season at Millard South in Omaha, now possesses an even greater opportunity to affect the Huskers’ recruiting class for 2027.

We discuss Taylor’s jump and look more deeply at his class of recruits. What do the Huskers still need? Where have they scored? And who’s coming into town on this second weekend of June? Also, Matt Rhule is p...

The shift underway at Nebraska in this offseason is perhaps more dramatic than it at first appeared. In addition to swapping out two coordinators and a quarterback whose styles lend to altered systems, Matt Rhule’s messaging is different in 2026. His coaching staff has a new vibe.

The first weekend in June left no doubt that Rhule is building the Nebraska roster in a new way — doubling down in areas that Geep Wade and Addison Williams find fruitful. We step back and look at the big picture while considering the stakes in 2026 for the fourth-year coach and his...

After an unscheduled bye, we’re back on this Tuesday to review the first big recruiting push of summer for Nebraska football. Five commits? That’ll do. But what about Ahmad Hudson, the five-star tight end out of Louisiana who committed in the spring to LSU? It seems that he’s back in play for Nebraska. Either that or he’s playing the Huskers. Regardless, Nebraska will take the publicity and work to run with it.

Elsewhere, Brendan Sorsby and Texas Tech are doing their best to ruin college sports. Nebraska has vowed not to compete against the Red...

The Friday mailbag is here. We start this show with an idea from a listener about the proposed expansion of the College Football Playoff. Why not go back to the old BCS ways of picking participants? It’s not an entirely bad concept, say hosts Connor and Mitch. Was Matt Rhule pulling the strings as his touted QB recruit picked a high school in Nebraska? 

Do reporters in college sports live in fear that their access will be revoked if they cross a line? Who among the 2025 CFP participants on Nebraska’s schedule next season are the Huske...

The Big Ten and SEC unite to push back against Congress’s sweeping plan to overhaul college football, setting up a powerful standoff that could reshape the sport’s future. With player compensation, playoff formats, and media rights on the line, can any legislation succeed without college football’s biggest powerhouses on board? The Big 10 Squad dissects the motives behind congressional intervention in NCAA sports, conference politics, and the relentless pursuit of media power. The crew shifts focus to Wisconsin Badgers football, debating whether Luke Fickell’s squad can clear a six-and-a-half win total and what’s at stake for his jo...

Trae Taylor and fellow Nebraska football commitment Tay Ellis have landed in Lincoln and Omaha. Their summer is off to a flying start as they juggle practices at Millard South with trips to the Huskers’ football complex in Lincoln. All of it makes for a fascinating entry for Taylor, the star QB and centerpiece of Nebraska’s 2027 recruiting, onto the landscape in this state.

We’re talking about the whole thing in this episode, from their daily schedule to impressions of Taylor and Ellis in Omaha this week to the summer and fall ahead for both prospects. Join u...

It’s June, and we’re checking in with Nebraska basketball after Fred Hoiberg, the leader of Husker hoops, met with the media on Tuesday in Lincoln. Coming off the first Sweet 16 appearance in program history, Nebraska will begin offseason workouts next week. Six transfers are set to make their practice debuts and mix with returnees Pryce Sandfort, Braden Frager, Cale Jacobsen and others.

As Hoiberg said, “love is in the air” around Nebraska basketball. We explain. Sam Hoiberg is branching out internationally. Fred is white-knuckling the NBA playoffs. And the Huskers made a full-length movie about their mo...

We’re looking back on this Tuesday at the past year in Nebraska sports — and the role of the football program in setting the tone for everything. Can the Huskers consider the past year, department wide, as a resounding success with mediocre results in football? Football is undeniably far more important than everything else to the bottom line. But does it matter equally in assessing performance across the board?

Also, we revisit Trae Taylor’s magnificent showing last weekend at the Elite 11 finals. And we peer ahead at the next four weeks for Matt Rhule’s program. Is there...

Nebraska QB commit Trae Taylor won MVP honors at the Elite 11 finals on Sunday. On Monday, he touches down in Nebraska to start his journey as the next quarterback at Millard South High School in Omaha ahead of his college career. Taylor is living in Lincoln in order to be close to the Huskers, but nothing will stop eager suitors from pursuing him with even more intensity after Taylor’s performance over the weekend in Los Angeles. 

He’ll likely soon be a five-star recruit. What does it all mean for Nebraska and Matt Rhule? Also, the seaso...

We’re here on a Saturday morning to preview the next matchups for Nebraska baseball and softball as their quests continue to advance in the NCAA postseason. For Will Bolt’s team, a meeting against powerful Ole Miss awaits at Haymarket Park in the winner’s bracket of the Lincoln Regional after the Huskers sweated out a 4-1 win against South Dakota State on Friday. 

Nebraska softball gets top-seeded Alabama in Oklahoma City. Who’s going to pitch for both Nebraska squads? We debate it and get you ready for a consequential Saturday night on the diamonds. Join us. ...

It’s a Friday mailbag. We’re diving back into the NIL discussion. Is there a disconnect at Nebraska between the money coming in and the money going out to athletes? How is football GM Pat Stewart faring at his job, by his own criteria, after one year in Lincoln? Should we be sounding the alarm about the floor for Anthony Colandrea and the Huskers’ QB play in 2026? 

Might the daunting schedule in the fall light a fire under Matt Rhule’s team? Should it? Baseball and softball are both on the big stage this weekend. If those tea...

Big Ten football faces a seismic shift as talk of a 70-school “Super Mega Conference” heats up. Could college athletics see relegation like the Premier League, or will tradition—with teams like Ohio State, Michigan, and UCLA—hold firm amidst swirling changes? The panel breaks down the latest bipartisan Congressional proposal that targets NIL regulation, transfer portal chaos, and the Lane Kiffin rule for mid-season coaching exits—all set to upend the college sports landscape. The Big 10 Squad leads a spirited debate featuring bold super conference visions, calls for NIL salary caps, and challenges to schools: “stop being poor” and keep pace...

Only once a year does that day arrive when the Big Ten releases its early season kickoff times. It is here. We learned on Wednesday when Nebraska will play Ohio, Bowling Green, North Dakota and as a bonus, the Black Friday game against Iowa. There are night games. There are 11 a.m. games. Connor and Mitch take a look at the ramifications. 

What else made news around the release of kickoff times? Well, there was Arkansas AD Hunter Yuracheck, complaining about the Hogs’ six-day turnaround between two games that his team and its first-year coach will be exp...

First-year Nebraska offensive line coach Geep Wade has been burning up the recruiting trail of late. He landed commitments from three prospects out of the state of Georgia. Are there more big fish on the way in the Class of 2027? We look at the state of building an offensive line in Lincoln. Wade has opened the doors for something new. How soon will it pay off on the field of play? 

We’re looking ahead at June and a big month for recruiting. And we dig in on the regional field set to play baseball at Haymarket Par...

What a week ahead. On this Memorial Day, we’re looking at the postseason draw for the Nebraska baseball team, which earned the No. 13 seed and a home regional for the first time since 2008. How do the Huskers match Friday against South Dakota State and Saturday against Ole Miss or Arizona State. The committee sent a couple big-name programs to Lincoln, but did Nebraska get a favorable lineup of potential opponents in comparison to what could have been?

Also, how about that Nebraska softball powerhouse? The winning streak continued in super regionals. The Huskers are headed to Ok...

We’re here with you for a special Saturday episode after the Nebraska baseball and softball teams won again on Friday — and into this morning — to continue their marches in this postseason. The Big Ten did its best to make a mess of matters in Omaha. Connor and Mitch take a look behind the scenes at situations like the one that resulted in the Huskers playing at 1:50 a.m. on Saturday. What can be done? 

Is Will Bolt’s team in position to make a run for a top-8 seed on Monday? Can Rhonda Revelle’s team be slowed a...

The Friday mailbag is here. What if Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule could bring in an advisor — someone who’s alive and no longer in coaching? Who are you taking? On that note, what if Nebraska baseball could add a former player from the past decade to help with the postseason run ahead? 

It’s raining everywhere, seemingly. Baseball and softball needs to be played. Be patient. And check us out as you wait out the delays. We’re talking about Rhule’s recent narrative on the Nebraska roster, his $5M bonus to trade out his intellectual property ri...

Big Ten power flexes threaten to upend the college football landscape as Tony Petitti’s playoff expansion push sparks fierce debate. Is a 24-team playoff format diluting the sport’s intensity or driving new rivalries and storylines? Greg Sankey and the SEC’s battle for influence, clashing philosophies, and shifting narratives keep college football fans on edge. The Big 10 Squad spotlights UCLA’s prospects under Bob Chesney and the over/under debate for the Bruins’ win total. Topics include playoff ramifications for rivalry games like Ohio State–Michigan and USC–UCLA, media power dynamics, and which commissioner holds true villain status...

We take a break on Thursday from wall-to-wall baseball and softball talk to jump into several topics related to Nebraska football. First up, a 24-team College Football Playoff, which appears an inevitability after recent developments. It might render the regular season unrecognizable, but how would this doubling of the field affect Nebraska? 

Iowa State’s athletic director wouldn’t mind if the Big Ten and the SEC went their own ways. Big Ten coaches are talking anonymously about the Huskers’ QB situation and coach Matt Rhule. And speaking of that quarterback, Anthony Colandrea has high expectations for Nebrask...

The wait is over. We’re back together. Mitch relives his European vacation of the past week after he and Connor review the past several days of Nebraska softball and baseball — and look ahead to this week for both programs. We’re talking about Jordy Frahm. Who is she most like that we’ve seen in sports? And what’s at stake this weekend as Oklahoma State visits Bowlin Stadium with a trip to the WCWS at stake?

Nebraska baseball heads to Omaha and the Big Ten tournament with a huge advantage. No matter the Friday foe for Nebras...

Connor rides solo on this Friday Mailbag, and you all bring the questions. Is Nebraska stuck in sports purgatory? Can Nebraska Basketball get a scheduling nod from the Big Ten? A Nebraska Baseball Mount Rushmore?

And then the big one. If you could do it over again, would Matt Rhule have still been the choice to coach the Huskers in late 2022?

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Big Ten playoff chaos heats up as conference experts debate an ever-expanding College Football Playoff. Could a 24-team—or even 128-team—bracket reshape the landscape for programs like Ohio State, Michigan, and Northwestern? The squad tackles whether playoff expansion erodes season value, impacts head coach job security, and opens the door for perennial underdogs to finally make a run. Who benefits—and who’s left scrambling—if postseason access grows at an unprecedented rate? The Big 10 Squad talks about Northwestern’s daunting 2026 schedule, win total predictions, Chip Kelly’s offensive impact, and Big Ten roadblocks that could make or break a season...

We promised we’d circle back to overflow questions from the mailbag last week. And here we are, starting with Ted in Texas, who’s feeling down because, well, his Huskers are “so mid.” How can this be, when Nebraska football seemingly sits in the top 15 to 20 in so many important areas? What gives? Connor and Mitch take a crack at helping Ted understand. 

In three years of the Matt Rhule era, we’ve pondered plenty of comparisons. But never one quite like what Brett proposed. Mike Riley vs. Matt Rhule? We entertain this idea. And finally, is offensiv...

The official midpoint of the college football offseason arrived a few days ago. Nebraska didn’t celebrate it. Excitement is not rising from the walls of Huskers’ football complex. It does not mean that trouble is afoot. But in comparison to recent offseasons, reason for concern exists. As a result, we’re re-introducing the DEFCON meter to gauge the state of the Huskers.

Also, behold the upcoming Nebraska volleyball rock-star tour. Nebraska softball tickets are selling for big bucks as a regional heads to Lincoln. We discuss the football Friday night at Illinois and preview Nebraska baseball at Cre...

A ruling arrived Monday in the arbitration case that pitted 18 Nebraska football players against the College Sports Commission. Nebraska lost — and it must now find a new path, along with its multimedia right partner, to pay millions of dollars over the revenue-sharing cap. Connor and Mitch dive into the ramifications of this situation. 

What’s next for Nebraska in its bid to keep up in the fast lane of college athletics? Join us.

We’ve got a special Sunday night episode, featuring the Nebraska baseball and softball teams. Will Bolt’s team swept Iowa in front of 22,815 fans over the weekend. It took some late-inning drama on Saturday and Sunday, but the Huskers are 37-14 and back in decent shape to make a run at hosting a regional with four regular-season games left. We update that chase and the Huskers’ pitching situation after the bullpen faltered at times against the Hawkeyes.

Rhonda Revelle’s squad beat UCLA after a tense moment in the third inning on Saturday to win the Big Ten...

The Friday mailbag is open. Topics came hot and heavy this week. For those listeners and viewers whose questions went unanswered, you’ll hear from us next week — and before Friday, so stay tuned. We start with Nebraska recruiting. What’s the end game for Nebraska as Trae Taylor and Tory Pittman III hear from new suitors? We revisit the 8 vs. 6 conversation. Is the hot seat in Lincoln a real thing? 

Why is the NCAA basketball tournament expanding? Does the best news for Fred Hoiberg in this offseason involve an assistant coach? And finally, why would Nebraska basebal...

Big Ten football faces seismic changes as coaches push for a 24-team College Football Playoff and the elimination of conference championship games. Is the legendary exclusivity of college football evaporating? The Big 10 Squad debates whether expanding the playoff waters down the sport, how job security and coaching standards might shift, and if a January 25th national championship is simply too much. The crew breaks down Maryland Terrapins’ shocking 4.5 win total: can Mike Locksley’s squad exceed expectations, or is another disappointing season inevitable? Key talking points include playoff expansion, scheduling chaos, and the shifting stakes for Big Ten coaches and...

What is it about this week? We got to the first few days of May and the negativity meter spiked around Nebraska football. Our friend Scott Dochterman of The Athletic surveyed hundreds of college football fans about the state of the Big Ten — and specifically, the state of every program in the Big Ten. Nebraska fans answered about as you’d expect four months into what’s been a dreary offseason.

On the flip side, an ESPN crew of writers ranked the offseasons of every team in the Power 4. And the Huskers finished in the top half of the...

Do you care how it looks? There’s the question of this Wednesday episode for Nebraska football fans. What if you were presented two options about the upcoming season. One option includes six wins and a breakthrough victory. The other involves eight wins, but nothing much that moves the meter. We debate the merits of both scenarios and run through schedule talk for Matt Rhule’s fourth team.

The Huskers added a 2026 football signee this week. Maurice Purify II joined the class. There’s significance to this late addition. Nebraska basketball locked up Nate Loesner and Fred Hoiber...

Is Matt Rhule’s Nebraska football program on a one-year clock? Should it be two? Perhaps the solution to mounting pressure and negativity in Lincoln is this: Take a step back and evaluate the Huskers over a two-year period. After all, it’s highly unlikely that the Huskers can manage more major change in the offseason after 2026 than they’re already set to tackle, with a big chunk of Memorial Stadium set to come down. 

Did you see how much money the Big Ten made in the most recently completed fiscal year? It’s the most ever by quite...

The news of Ahmad Hudson’s commitment on Sunday to LSU did not come as a surprise in the football recruiting community. Still, it dealt a blow to Nebraska, which had recruited the five-star tight end out of Ruston, Louisiana for longer than a year. In swooped Lane Kiffin over the past few months to secure the pledge of an in-state star. What does it mean for Nebraska and Matt Rhule and Trae Taylor? We discuss.

Nebraska baseball laid an egg at Ohio State. Perhaps that talk about a ticket policy for a potential home regional served as...

The Friday mailbag is here. Thanks as always for your questions. We’re loaded with topics. Would Nebraska football have been better off without Dylan Raiola? Has Nebraska basketball filled its needs in the transfer portal? And what is the athletic department strategy in pushing aside baseball supporters as it prioritizes postseason ticket-buying opportunities? 

We’re talking talent vs. development. Who’s in charge of the stadium rebuild? Should Troy Dannen be checking the phones of his athletes? And who will most be missed from Matt Rhule’s 2025 squad? Join us for all of that and more.

College football playoff chaos looms as postseason expansion rumors ignite fierce debate. Could the Big Ten secure eight playoff spots in a future super-sized format? The Big 10 Squad tackles the growing influence of money on NCAA tournament and College Football Playoff changes, questioning whether tradition or TV contracts will shape the future of Big Ten powerhouses like Michigan State, Penn State, and USC. The crew breaks down Michigan State’s outlook under Pat Fitzgerald, with FanDuel setting a three-and-a-half win total. Can quarterback Alessio Milivojevic and the Spartans shock critics with a stronger season? Plus, hot dog eating contests an...

According to Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen, people “don’t realize what NIL is today.” Is that right? And if so, how can the Huskers expect to fund a roster with a payroll that exceeds the rev-share cap by millions of dollars? Dannen has answers to these questions. But is he walking a fine line in admitting that donors don’t care for NIL and that Nebraska can’t legally take checks from its boosters in order to pay for Matt Rhule’s team.

Nebraska baseball won another game Tuesday in dramatic fashion. Jeter Worthley had a huge night...

Lots happening in Nebraska sports. But we’re starting on this Tuesday with a look back at Aug. 28, 2025 — not the game itself, but the quarterbacks involved in the Huskers’ season opener against Cincinnati. Brendan Sorsby and Dylan Raiola, both of whom moved through the transfer portal, have been in the news this week for very different reasons. The Sorsby story is alarming. For Raiola, not so much. But Nebraska is moving forward without any of the drama.  

Mitch’s story on Elijah Pritchett is finally out. Check it out in The Athletic. Pritchett has a shot next year at th...