Ohio isn't walking in overwhelmed, though. John Hauser takes over on a full-time basis after going 1-0 as interim coach, capping a 9-win 2025 with a bowl win over UNLV, and the Bobcats still have 8 players on the preseason All-MAC teams. This is a program with real momentum, just a lot of new pieces to plug in fast against a Power Four defense.
Rhule enters his fourth season sitting at 19-19 in Lincoln and 0-10 in his career against Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, USC and Indiana — the results that actually decide whether this program breaks through. A trap-door loss to a MAC team wouldn't just sting, it would instantly reframe the rest of the schedule, which still has Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon on it. Nebraska is favored to be the much better roster here; the concern is whether a retooled offensive line and a brand-new starting quarterback are in sync by Week 1.
For Ohio, this is about proving last year's breakout wasn't a fluke while replacing the starting QB, top running back's supporting cast, and the entire offensive line in one offseason. Nebraska has the talent gap in its favor and a raucous home opener behind it — the question is whether a program that keeps losing the games that matter most can take care of business against a team it should beat.