Nebraska Cornhuskers (corn)

[ScriptOhio]

College football sleeping giants: Programs due for breakthrough​

Six teams whose best may be yet to come.​

By now, the College Football Playoff national title contenders ahead of the 2024 season are at the forefront. Teams litter the preseason rankings, but there is the underrated second wave of programs not on everyone's radar just yet anxious to flex improvements.

What constitutes holding the label of "sleeping giant" across college football? For starters, being in the middle of a prime recruiting area help and you need resources.

Those are some of the factors including in College Football Select's recently released list of the nation's "top sleeping giants", which includes several surprising picks.

Here are programs falling under the sleeping giant label, according to College Football Select:

NEBRASKA HUSKERS​

CFB Select: "This answer shouldn’t surprise you. We’re not just dwelling on their history as a college football dynasty, either – regardless of how you feel about Nebraska, they objectively have some of the deepest athletic department support in the country. They have already utilized this to pull in some of the top recruits and transfers in the country."

Judging by the attention gained after five-star freshman Dylan Raiola turned heads in Nebraska's spring game, the Huskers might not be sleeping much longer. He's the biggest recruiting win in program history and the type of player who could be landscape-changing in the Big Ten if he pans out. Nebraska has one of the strongest collectives in college football and booster support has never been issue, those are major positives for a program trying to get back to the pedestal.

One underrated aspect of a "sleeping giant" is coaching stability and Matt Rhule sounds like he wants to stay at Nebraska as long as he can. Having been in the NFL and failed, there's no want or need to return. Managing expectations for Raiola will be vital for Rhule and this program's advancement.

"Joe Paterno used to say better a play too late than a play too soon. Put guys in when they're ready," Rhule said earlier this year before Raiola had 239 yards passing and a couple touchdowns in the first half of the Huskers' spring game. I told Dylan the moment he got there, don't worry about being the five-star quarterbacks. Don't worry about being all these things. Expectation weighs us down. Just play ball. I'm way more interested in (figuring out) where all our (quarterbacks) where they end up. Not where they are in Year 1.

"That's one of the things that's stressing out our young people. Based upon what I've seen, he's in here all the time. He's committed to doing this and doing this at a high level. I want to see him compete and have fun. I wanna see him play fearless. You're going to make mistakes. We had so many turnovers last year. We have to improve that as coaches. But I wanna see Dylan come in her and rip the the ball. I would say there's a chance we'll probably play all three (quarterbacks) because that's modern college football."

Just sayin': I find it humorous that Bo Pelini had a winning record every year (7 total) that he was head coach at Corn. He had just 4 losses each year; Corn thought that they should be better than that so they fired him. They have only had a winning record once (in 2016) since. Since then, Corn did have a golden opportunity when the B1G had 2 divisions and Corn was in the weaker division. With the B1G eliminating the divisions and adding 4 west coast teams that are potential "contenders", it just got a lot rougher for Corn.

 

[ochre]

"Joe Paterno used to say better a play too late than a play too soon..," Rhule said earlier this year...

A soliloquy that doesn't extend to bathroom sojourns.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

"Joe Paterno used to say better a play too late than a play too soon..," Rhule said earlier this year...

He also used to say, "tell tomorrow's referees to come by my office this afternoon."

 

[ScriptOhio]

Matt Rhule details Nebraska starting QB decision, Dylan Raiola: 'I've been very honest with the guys'

Three players are in the mix.

247sports.com

Matt Rhule details Nebraska starting QB decision, Dylan Raiola: 'I've been very honest with the guys'​

Three players are in the mix.​

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule has a decision to make at quarterback before the Huskers open the 2024 season. Does he go with returning starter Heinrich Haarberg, freshman five-star Dylan Raiola or fellow newcomer Daniel Kaelin?

It's a question Rhule tip-toed around throughout spring.

"So there's three guys there," Rhule said on Always College Football. "It would be different if they all played for us before, then you could maybe come out right now and say, 'Hey, I think you're I think you're the quarterback or maybe really early in the camp.' For me, this is such a growth process. You know, you have two guys who literally when they show up to campus this fall are beginning their freshman year of college football, so let's say that they're the starter before that even starts, that doesn't make sense to me."

Raiola is one of college football's most-hyped true freshman players after starring in the spring game and signing with Nebraska as the highest-rated player in program history. Raiola's performance was quite eye-opening with 239 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. He figures to be the Huskers' starter this season, but Rhule has not made that decision.

"I mean, the thing for me is I've been very honest with the guys," Rhule said. "I don't live in fear of the transfer portal. I think the best thing you can do with a portal is be completely transparent with guys and that way they know when you tell them that it's in your best interest to stay, they'll trust it. But I think we'll know when we know.

"And I know that sounds crazy, you know, but what I've liked is when one player has had a really good day, the other two guys kind of come in the next day with their hair on fire and they have a good day and at the end of the day, I've got to elevate the quarterback play and having competition elevates it. I don't care what anybody says."
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