Matt Rhule's new buyout is $71MM! Dude is 0-18 vs ranked opponents at Baylor and Nebraska

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GopherGrit said:
Also keep in mind that the OP is playing a bit of trickery with the 0-18 stat.

For example, in 2019 Texas ended the season ranked #25 in the nation. Baylor beat Texas that year. Shouldn't that count as a ranked win? In my book, I think that's fair.


I'm not sure how anyone can look at this table, and think "this guy does not know how to get it done in college"

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Compare that picture to Fleck’s history (PJ 93-64) and I would think W Mich and MN are as hard or harder to win at than Temple, Baylor, and Nebbie.
 

Some guy said:
It’s not “trickery”
It’s a different statistic

But I agree he’s a good coach and it’s good for Nebraska to not have to start over
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I think he's a good coach but don't quite understand the love he gets from some.
 


Gopher_In_NYC said:
Money will completely obliterate college athletics in the next 10-15 years.
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I'm thinking 5 years. The changes have been so rapid. It''s the Johnstown Flood of money fueled by an audience that can't seem to get enough sports. College football has always been the ready-made feeder system for the pro game, but with the massive amounts going into NIL and the ability of players to move indiscriminately between programs it has become even moreso.

I remember there used to be a debate as to whether the NFL would want to establish a minor league system through the colleges, but the argument against that (and it's a convincing argument) is that the NFL owners wouldn't have the dollars to support a formal minor league system. Given that so many programs have huge NIL commitments from boosters, the NFL can now just sit back and have the college system runs itself with no need for NFL dollars.
 

Some guy said:
I don’t understand why people hate the free market

The nfl should get their monopoly lifted so this happens there too.


Why are people against the workers getting compensated?
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I think you are melding two issues. I don't have a problem with anyone being paid what they are deemed to be worth. We can get into value arguments about whether a college football coach should have a buy-out of the size where money could be used for a different purpose, but the market is what the market is.

The other side of the coin is that college football used to control its market differently (and I thought it was somewhat antiquated) and the changes that have come to the market have dramatically altered the system to the point where it may collapse.
 


corcorangopher said:
Compare that picture to Fleck’s history (PJ 93-64) and I would think W Mich and MN are as hard or harder to win at than Temple, Baylor, and Nebbie.
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To me, the tale of Rhule's head coaching narrative is that at every college he's been at there has been a sharp upwards trajectory in the first three years. And then Temple he sustained that high level in year 4.

We don't know how Nebraska will end up this year, of course. Huge game tonight.


Fleck has only had two stops, but that has also been true in the first 3-4 years at both.

I don't count Covid ... I don't see how any coach can possibly deal with a random "oh sorry, 30-40 players can't play tonight". No point even discussing it.

Then 2021-2023 were disappointments, given how easy the schedules were. To not win the Big Ten West even one time in those three, is unfortunate. Obvious 23 went bad due to AK at QB. It was a bet that Fleck made, that did not pay off. Hence why he brought in Brosmer last year, rather than guarantee the world to Drake, and that was the correct move.

7-5 last year regular season with a decent (clearly not lower tier) bowl game (and a win in that).

Hoping for 8-4 this year, small improvement.

Then 2026 we'll see ... would be really nice to get up to 9 even 10 wins. Don't know Big Ten yet but the non-conf is very similar to this year, with an FCS cupcake, a winnable MAC game, and a 10th P4 game against a mid-lower P4 program.
 



I received this interesting and somewhat inaccurate answer from ChatGPT on my query just now of what Rhule’s guaranteed salary will total if fired in Dec 2025. Keep in mind his new contract took effect Oct 30, 2025. Diversify from S&P500.






If Matt Rhule were fired in December 2025 by Nebraska Cornhuskers (without cause), the publicly-available figures suggest he would be owed about $49,612,500 in guaranteed buyout/remaining contract value. News USA Today+2KETV+2

Here are the details and caveats behind that number:

📋 What the sources show​

  • A site tracking coach contracts says: “As of Dec. 1, 2025, if the school fires Rhule without cause, he would be set to receive $49,612,500.” News USA Today
  • Earlier reporting noted that his contract with Nebraska was “90% guaranteed” and spanned eight years, with increasing salaries up to ~$12.5 million in later years. Corn Nation+1
  • A local news outlet noted the buyout (termination payment) as being “90% of the remaining amount on his contract” in the event of a termination without cause. KETV

⚠️ Key caveats and notes​

  • The $49.6 m figure appears to cover what remains after December 2025, meaning the remaining years of the contract at their scheduled values, multiplied by the guarantee percentage.
  • Exact contract breakdowns (year by year, mitigation clauses, offsets if he takes another job, etc.) may change the actual payout.
  • “Fired without cause” is the assumed scenario; if termination is for cause or by mutual agreement, the payout likely differs.
  • Deferred compensation, bonuses, and escalators (such as bonuses for playoff appearances) may or may not factor fully into the guarantee.
  • The public contract documents show increases in buyout numbers (for him leaving) and guarantee percentages for the extension through 2032. For example, his buyout was reported to increase from $5 million to $15 million if he left before 2026 under the new extension. ESPN.com+1

✅ My summary​

If Rhule were terminated in December 2025 without cause, he appears contractually entitled to around $49.6 million in guaranteed payments. That’s a substantial liability for Nebraska if they fired him at that point.

If you like, I can try digging into the exact year-by-year guaranteed payout (2025 onward) and compare what the payout would be in other termination timing scenarios (e.g., fired after 2026 or 2027).
 



GopherGrit said:
Who are great and what is keeping Rhule from being great?
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Winning 9+ games every or a national title year makes you great.
There aren’t many who fit the bill on that description.

Which is why I think it was insane to let go of Franklin.


Kelly I see getting rid of because though he is close to great on the field I think he’s a pretty scummy person from the public stories about him
 

50PoundHead said:
I'm thinking 5 years. The changes have been so rapid. It''s the Johnstown Flood of money fueled by an audience that can't seem to get enough sports. College football has always been the ready-made feeder system for the pro game, but with the massive amounts going into NIL and the ability of players to move indiscriminately between programs it has become even moreso.

I remember there used to be a debate as to whether the NFL would want to establish a minor league system through the colleges, but the argument against that (and it's a convincing argument) is that the NFL owners wouldn't have the dollars to support a formal minor league system. Given that so many programs have huge NIL commitments from boosters, the NFL can now just sit back and have the college system runs itself with no need for NFL dollars.
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Agree. NFL totally uses CFB as a minor league system. It’s great for them.
 

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