Dylan Raiola on Nebraska’s goal next season: ‘Playoffs’

After dominating Wisconsin 44-25, Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola wants more than just a bowl game in 2025.

The Huskers finally will go back to the postseason this winter but Raiola wants to take it multiple steps further next season. Not just a bowl game, but the College Football Playoff.

The freshman quarterback believes Nebraska will be built for it when the time comes.

“Playoffs next year,” Raiola said postgame. “It’s as simple as that.”

Sure, it could be that simple, but the Huskers will have to win more than six games to make it a possibility.

They’ll need the jump from six or seven wins to 10 or 11 wins at minimum. In the present though, Raiola played well and the Huskers controlled the game in Lincoln.

He threw for 293 yards, one touchdown and was 28 of 38 passing. Dante Dowdell was dominant on the ground, scoring three times.

But it was Emmett Johnson, who took pressure off Raiola, with 16 carries for 113 yards.

“I saw my mom, and she was crying,” Raiola said.

At the moment, whether Raiola and Nebrasksa get to the playoffs next year, clinching a bowl game was ginormous for the program. After all, it’s been nearly 10 years (2016).

“There’s still a ton of plays we left out there,” head coach Matt Rhule said. “I just think Dylan was really on, and we ran the football really well.”

Nebraska’s head coach became emotional discussing the team’s veteran players, who enjoyed a heck of a Senior Day after Raiola, a freshman, helped guide the victory.

“There are 30 of them, with all different journeys to get here,” Rhule said, making special mention of the seniors who endured for years, via Husker Online. “They’ve been through three (head) coaches, different ADs, and stood in the gap.

“I was really happy for them to grab that trophy. They’ve never seen it before. They held it up and brought into the locker room.”

Now at 6-5, Nebraska can improve its bowl positioning going up against Iowa next weekend. Can Raiola duplicate his performance in the regular season finale?

It’ll be held on Black Friday, so it’s a shorter week. If Raiola has playoff aspirations next season, you better start building in Week 14 of 2024.