Sep 20, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule walks onto the field before the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The coaching carousel in college football was already off to a crazy start in the 2025 season, and then Sunday happened.

Not one, but three head coaches got kicked to the curb, headlined by Penn State Nittany Lions HC James Franklin, who had just wrapped up a 0-3 start in the Big Ten Conference after losing three-straight games, the last two of which his team was 20-plus point favorites in.

Now, the coaching carousel has been set to warp speed, and big names from big programs are about to get thrown into the mix. Early on, one of those big names is Matt Rhule, the head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. As a former player at Penn State during his college days, Rhule's name has been tied to this job since it opened, with many touting him as the top candidate.

On Monday, Rhule was asked about that opening, and he had some glowing words about his alma mater.

When asked if he would consider taking the job at Penn State, should it be offered to him, Rhule said that he wasn't going to talk about it. He did not, however, shut down the possibility, which many Nebraska fans will be disappointed to hear.

It's a smart move from Rhule, trying to recenter the focus on Nebraska while keeping all of his options open. We saw this same playbook from Mario Cristobal during his final days at the University of Oregon, where he expressed his love for the Ducks amid rumors of his departure for the Miami Hurricanes.

We know how that ended with Cristobal, so will it be a similar outcome for Rhule?

If you're a Nittany Lions fan, you may be optimistically hopeful. Rhule has found a lot of success at Nebraska, going 17-14 over the last three years. While that may not put the Cornhuskers among the most successful teams in the sport, it is great improvement compared to the Scott Frost era that Rhule took over, where Nebraska was 19-37 over the previous five seasons.

However, the same "big game" issues that led to Franklin getting fired at Penn State may be an issue for Rhule, as well. During his college coaching career, Rhule has lost 17 games in a row against top-25 ranked teams.

There may be some good and some bad mixed in there for Rhule, but it's clear that he is a name to watch for the Nittany Lions' job going forward. Whether or not he ends up taking it could be a major domino to fall down the line.

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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Matt Rhule offers interesting answers to questions about Penn State job opening

Reporting by Zachary Neel, College Sports Wire / College Sports Wire

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