Dan Mullen thinks Nebraska fans will spark team's success

The expectations in Lincoln, Nebraska have created a high-pressure environment with the Cornhuskers. Those who follow Nebraska badly want to see a legitimate winner again when it comes to their football program.

Now, heading into Matt Rhule’s first season leading them, Dan Mullen believes that they, the fans, are going to be what drives the team back to that level. As he said on ‘The Matt Barrie Show’ this week, he thinks Rhule is going to give them something to believe in on the field which, in turn, will get them to fully buy in as a fanbase again.

“Matt Rhule is going to come in to a Nebraska fanbase that is, I mean, it’s hard to argue if there’s a more passionate fanbase than for their team,” said Mullen. “It’s a passionate, loving fanbase.”

“I think Matt Rhule is going to come in, the team is going to have a little bit of success. And I think the fanbase immediately? Even though I think Luke Fickell will win more games this year and have a more successful season? I think the fanbase at Nebraska is going to see a light with Matt Rhule,” Mullen said. “I think that will reinvigorate their fanbase, which is crazy that they need to be, and get them so excited about the future that I think he will have success.”

Nebraska didn’t know what they had in Bo Pelini from 2008 to 2014. In his seven seasons, they won nine or more games in all of them

In the eight seasons since? The Cornhuskers have posted just one winning campaign with only two reaching six wins or more as the program is currently riding a run of six seasons without a bowl game appearance.

Still, Mullen does believe that Rhule is exactly what the doctor ordered inside of Memorial Stadium. He thinks he is the man who, after five seasons of Scott Frost, will get those who live and die with Nebraska back on board.

Rhule believes Nebraska is positioned perfectly after Big Ten expansion

The Big Ten will stretch across the entirety of the United States once the great conference realignment of 2024 ensues.

Adding heavyweight programs like USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon to a now 18-team conference? That has Nebraska’s Matt Rhule believing that the Cornhuskers are better positioned than the majority of other teams within the Big Ten geographically.

In a situation such as having a team like Oregon travel nearly 2,900 miles to play Rutgers? That’s when Rhule believes Nebraska has the leg up. The Cornhuskers are sitting right in the middle of it all. Their advantage is getting to either coast with a routine two-and-a-half-hour flight.

“As the Big Ten has become the national conference with teams from the east and west coasts? We’re in a pretty good spot geographically. Teams are going to have to come here and play in cold temperatures and the wind,” Rhule said. “… I think the impact on teams flying from the west coast to the east coast — and more importantly the east coast flying to the west coast — the research says [jetlag recovery] is a day per timezone.”