Most of us do not remember the 1984 season by BYU when they won the national championship after defeating the Mighty Michigan. It wasn’t a last-minute Hail Mary but a coordinated effort from a program that always failed to make the headlines on the front pages. Their fault? Playing for the Western Athletic Conference (now defunct), which wasn’t quite considered among the ‘power’ conferences. But what they did was unthinkable. They shook the very foundations of college football and gave us the last underdog story that we would see since their win. A recent decision involving a playoff expansion will cement this legacy of not letting the now ‘group of five’ execute these Cinderella run stories. However, it might benefit Matt Rhule and Dylan Raiola. Here’s how.

Recently, executives of 10 FBS conferences met and decided on a major playoff expansion. They have signed a potential memorandum that will hand over the decision-making control to the two major leagues: the SEC and the Big 10. Furthermore, there has been a further push to expand the playoffs to 14 or 16 teams starting in 2026. TJ Pittinger of ‘College Football Addiction explored how the expanded playoff could benefit Nebraska.

“They (Nebraska) could certainly make a run at it this year. I don’t know that this is the year that people are pegging Nebraska to make a run up to make the playoff, but man, with an expanded playoff with four guaranteed spots that we talked about, it really feels like this could be the stepping stone to 2026 being really successful.” Surely, the expanded playoff will benefit teams like Nebraska, who couldn’t also make the cut. But how will it guarantee Nebraska a spot at the table?

Well, the decision has also come with another major twist. It is also being proposed that both the SEC and Big 10 leagues will have 4 guaranteed playoff spots, with another 2 each going to the ACC and the Big 12. One to Notre Dame if it finishes in the top 14 in the CFP rankings and the remaining one to the group of five. This will definitely see teams like Nebraska easily qualify for the playoffs if they finish top four within their conference. So, the future looks quite bright for the Cornhuskers in that regard. But still, Matt Rhule has one concern going forward. And that plagues all of college football in general.

Matt Rhule’s paranoia regarding rampant tampering

We know that Matt Rhule has constantly raised his voice against tampering and has even said. “The word ‘tampering’ doesn’t exist anymore. It’s just absolutely free, open, common market; I don’t necessarily want to open up to the outside world. I don’t want these guys all being able to watch our guys and say, ‘Wow, he looks like a pretty good player; let’s go get him.” The statement highlights the paranoia that Matt Rhule is currently in, and that’s why he has suggested taking a very drastic step.

That is canceling the Cornhuskers’ spring games that allow open scrimmage and are ticket-free to attend for anyone. “Fundamentally, I hate to say it like this, but it’s really because last year we were one of the most televised spring games, and I dealt with a lot of people offering our players a lot of opportunities after that.” There is some truth to Matt Rhule’s claim. That is because, after the 2024 spring games, many programs tried to poach players off other teams.

Well, Matt Rhule’s tampering problem is not new and is echoed by several coaches. So, it’s something that isn’t going away anytime soon. But Matt Rhule might still be able to benefit from the expanded playoff, as Kirby Smart is aiming to do after both of their conferences have 4 guaranteed spots.