Nebraska’s prime-time clash with Cincinnati at a sold-out Arrowhead Stadium feels bigger than a typical opener. Year three under Matt Rhule historically marks liftoff; his Temple squad jumped to 10 wins in 2015, and his Baylor rebuild surged to 11 victories four seasons later. Add a neutral-site stage, an August heatwave, and a fan base that traveled in droves, and the scene already resembles a bowl game rather than Week 1.

All eyes fall on sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola, the former five-star who threw for 2,819 yards and 13 scores last fall, and new play-caller Dana Holgorsen, hired to unleash an up-tempo attack built around Dylan Raiola’s Mahomes-style improvisation. The buzz escalated Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show, where former Husker Will Compton delivered a direct message for Rhule. 

“This is going to be the first double-digit win season since my senior year in 2012. You can book it. It starts tonight against Cincinnati.” Pat McAfee grinned and said the optimism hit him while he “brushed teeth this morning,” a line that sent Husker Twitter into orbit. Compton’s confidence flowed from an early look at Nebraska’s schedule.

“We got a favorable slate, no matter how you view the Huskers,” he told McAfee, pointing out that only two Power Four foes appear before October. Moreover, their tough games against Michigan and USC are both at home. The only certain loss could be at Penn State late in the season. But even there, riding high on wins, the Huskers may spring a surprise. 

Oddsmakers agree in Week 1; HuskerOnline lists Nebraska as a 6.5-point favorite against a Bearcat team that finished 5-7 in 2024 yet returns bruising quarterback Brendan Sorsby. Rhule addressed reporters Monday and praised Cincinnati’s elite gap-sound defense, though he highlighted improvements in Nebraska’s special-teams discipline after hiring former NFL assistant Nick Sorensen to oversee coverage units.

Compton did more than tout a win-loss record. He cited Year two chemistry between Raiola and the team. Add in the rebuilt receiver room headlined by Kentucky transfer Dane Key, plus the formidable tight end Luke Lindenmeyer, and it becomes Nebraska’s game to lose. McAfee added another fun subplot. Arrowhead is home turf for Travis Kelce, Cincinnati’s most famous alumnus, and local chatter hints that the eight-time Pro Bowler may appear on the sideline before joining Chiefs camp for Saturday’s walkthrough. A Kelce cameo would give ESPN producers gold, framing Raiola, nicknamed “Baby Mahomes” by recruiting analysts, in the very venue where Patrick Mahomes scripts his weekly heroics.

The momentum in Lincoln is at an all-time high, and Thursday offers an ideal first checkpoint for the showdown. Secure a win, and Nebraska heads home for Akron and Houston Christian with a path to 3-0 before a trip to UCLA. Stumble, and chatter about another rebuild resurfaces. Compton trusts the former: “I can feel it, it’s in the air,” he insisted as McAfee hammered his desk. The Huskers have chased that feeling for more than a decade. If they seize it under the Kansas City lights, the march toward that long-awaited double-digit season may finally begin.

Dylan Raiola is ready to shine at his hero’s stadim

Dylan Raiola grinned when reminded that Nebraska’s opener sits on neutral turf in Arrowhead Stadium, home of his biggest NFL influence. Asked how the Huskers will handle the quasi-road environment, the sophomore cracked, “What’s the plan? Win the game. … My boy’s gonna be there. Yeah, he’s gonna be there,” confirming Patrick Mahomes’ plans to watch from a suite. With Travis Kelce expected to cheer his Cincinnati alma mater on the opposite sideline, Raiola believes his own “home-field” edge lies in familiarity: he worked offseason throwing sessions on the Chiefs’ practice field with Mahomes’ personal coach Jeff Christensen.

The Mahomes parallel follows Raiola everywhere, yet he embraces it without apology. “It just so happened that he played baseball, and I played baseball. He plays quarterback and I play quarterback … I can’t get mad at God for making me look like him,” he told CBS Sports’ Confidential Conversations earlier this week. The two now text regularly after the first meeting at a Texas workout in 2023; Mahomes even passed along his number unprompted, a gesture Raiola still describes as “shook me up”. Their bond shows on tape: Raiola’s off-platform darts, no-look pump fakes, and sudden arm-angle drops mirror the two-time MVP’s toolbox, elements Dana Holgorsen intends to weaponize against a Bearcat secondary that yielded 27 passing scores last year.

Raiola insists comparisons won’t define him; results will. Beating Cincinnati in Mahomes’ stadium offers a chance to validate Will Compton’s on-air guarantee of Nebraska’s first 10-win campaign since 2012. The quarterback smiles at the extra storyline: “He’s on our side … To each his own,” he said of Mahomes backing Nebraska while Kelce pledges allegiance to the Bearcats. One electric Arrowhead performance could shift the “Baby Mahomes” tag from novelty to prophecy and launch the Cornhuskers’ Year Three renaissance exactly where NFL greatness is forged.