Nebraska Football is Becoming Cool Again

During the Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne runs, being a Nebraska fan was cool.

I was born on the back end of that beautiful dynasty. I entered the world as part of the cool, but beyond my immediate family already in the club, I had others across several states who bore the scarlet and cream as if they'd been born into it too.

The Cornhuskers won a bunch, and being a fan meant you were cool. But then it got tougher.

Everyone being online more over the last 15-20 years meant dealing with other fan bases on a more consistent basis, many of whom were having more success than the beloved Huskers. The last decade-plus has been tough, but in 2026, being a Husker fan feels cool again.

The fourth year of the Matt Rhule Era is off to a solid start. The Huskers are 5-0, something they haven't done in a decade. Those five wins all came by more than 17 points, something that hasn't been done since 2001.

The cast of characters bring an element of cool, too.

Quarterback Anthony Colandrea has a swagger that head coach Matt Rhule felt the minute the UNLV transfer set foot on campus. Freshman running back Jamal Rule (please be healthy and ready to go this week!) boasts big runs and a love of bowling that have enamored the fanbase.

Luke Lindenmeyer. Kwazi Gilmer. Jeremiah Charles. Vince Genatone. Owen Chambliss. The list goes on and on of dudes who feel cool and make the fans feel like the program is more than it has been in recent years: back to winning games and being cool.

Off the field, the cool factor has ramped up this month.

Back in the summer of 2025, Rhule went out to California and shot a couple of scenes for the first season of Lanterns, an HBO show focused on the comic book hero Green Lantern. The setting is Rushville, Nebraska, an area that was once home to the show's executive producer Tom King.

The connection for Rhule, though, came from showrunner, writer, and executive producer Chris Mundy. Mundy is an Omaha native and Westside grad.

"Huge Husker fan," Rhule said on Monday about Mundy. "I got to know him at one point through somebody else. We'd become friends, and as they were doing the show and it was obviously based in Nebraska, he asked if I'd want to go out and film that role.

"Really cool to see Nebraska on HBO."

If Matt Rhule doesn't win a national championship with a Manhunter at quarterback in 2027...

Later this month, Nebraska will be the backdrop for a new movie: Going For Two. It is a coming-of-age comedy set in Omaha during the 1983 college football season. That's "The Scoring Explosion" team, which saw its season end on a failed two-point conversion in the Orange Bowl, keeping that elusive national championship away from Osborne for a bit longer.

The film spent more than 30 days in 2022 shooting on location in Omaha, with a base camp in the parking lot of Westside High.

Just like with Lanterns, Going For Two is led by those from the Beef State. Walk-On Productions was started by Nebraska natives Dana Altman (not that Dana Altman) and Kathleen Welch Markel. Markel is also the director of the film.

From IMDB: "Fall. 1983. While their beloved college football team vies for the National Championship, a fatherless 12-year-old boy (Jimmy) and his tomboy neighbor (Frankie) embark on a quest for his 'manhood'."

Is it a bit cringy? Of course. Is it going to be something I absolutely watch with my family? 100%. If the growing-up messages don't turn out, at least shots of TO, Mike Rozier, Dean Steinkuhler, and more will make it worth watching.

Winning on and off the field. The movies and TV shows add a layer of the returned cool factor. Now, Rhule and Co. have a big chance to launch that cool into the stratosphere on Saturday, hosting the No. 7 and reigning national champion Indiana at Memorial Stadium.