matt rhule: “Matt Rhule is not a moron”: Recruiting insider takes a stern stance on Nebraska HC’s 40-team playoff take

On Wednesday, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule riled up the college sports world after teasing that there should be a 40-team playoff. However, recruiting insider Mike Farrell had another take on Rhule's comments.

On Thursday, Farrell pointed out on an X post that Rhule's comments were made out of sarcasm and meant to be a joke, one that many didn't understand.

"Matt Rhule is not a moron. He’s a very smart man with a good sense of humor. The morons are those who took him seriously." Mike Farrell wrote.

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Farrell didn't elaborate on the context of the head coach's comments, but he got the general idea, as it was never supposed to be taken seriously.

As an independent quote, Rhule's “make that thing 40 and let’s go" comment feels like he is asking for a new College Football Playoff expansion. However, it's important to consider the context in which the comment was made.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach was responding to the topic of scheduling imbalance, especially in the larger conferences, where some teams might benefit from playing a softer conference schedule than some league rivals. He also mentioned that there isn't a level playing field with some conferences playing eight league games and others playing nine.

Still, a lot of fans and even some college football insiders believed he was talking seriously, even reacting with disapproval over his remarks.

Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers finished 2024 with a 7-6 record, including a defeat of the Boston College Eagles in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Matt Rhule details roster-building approach under possible rule changes

With a potential adjustment on roster limits as part of the House settlement, the Nebraska head coach detailed how he's been relaying the information to his players on "Huskers Online".

“As I told you in January, we told the guys, ‘Hey, if we did it right now you’d be in the 105 or you wouldn’t,'” Rhule said. “So they can make decisions.”

Once the settlement is approved, programs will have a hard cap of 105 players. As it stands now, teams can have only 85 scholarship players, but there is no limit on walk-ons.

Rhule mentioned that being honest with the players and giving them the full picture so they can figure out what the best steps for their future could be. The head coach is entering his third season at Lincoln.

About the author

Allan Wolburg Robles is a College Sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over 17 years of experience in the field writing for publications including Reforma, Yahoo! OddsShark and Apuesta. Allan studied Communications at Anáhuac University, where he learned what would become the basis of a trade that was already a dream of his before starting college.

His favorite team is Army West Point as when he was young, Allan lived in West Point for a couple of years, went to pretty much every home game, a couple of Army-Navy games and even got to meet some of the players.

Allan's favorite players of all time include Tommie Frazier, who was unbelievable during the Nebraska dynasty of the early 90's. Tim Tebow was also a favorite, mainly because of his leadership skills, although he was also awesome on the football field. As a fan of defensive football, (or what's left of it), Sean Taylor could take over a game for Miami.

Allan has always considered himself a student of the game more than a fan of it. So the historical part and evolution of the game, as well as the ins and outs of what happens on the field, and being able to put it into words for the audience, are his biggest strengths.

Besides sports, Allan enjoys reading books, watching movies and spending time with his dogs.

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Edited by Brad Taningco