Common Fan - A Nebraska Football Podcast

Tom Osborne biographer Henry Cordes of the Omaha World Herald and Brandon Vogel of the Counter Read Newsletter join the Common Fans for the final episode of the Tom Osborne series. 

• Simply put, TO is the best coach in Nebraska football history, and one of the greatest college football coaches of all time. 
• Beloved by his players to this day.
• Deep and lasting connection to his players, built on a concern for them first as people an...

College Football Hall of Famer Grant Wistrom and Omaha World Herald legend Tom Shatel join the Common Fans for the fifth episode of the Tom Osborne series. This episode focuses on the 1995-1997 seasons. 

• The dominance of the 1995 team.
• Averaged over 53 points per game; gave up just 14 and a half.
• They averaged more than 556 rushing yards per game. 
• No team came ...

For Episode 4 of the Tom Osborne series, the Common Fans are joined by All Big 8 wingback Abdul Muhammad and longtime Nebraska sports writer Mitch Sherman. This episode focuses on the period from 1990-1994. 

• Toward the end of the 1990 season, the Huskers were #2 in the country.
• Then they blew a 12-0 lead against Colorado, and suffered back-to-back blowouts against Oklahoma and vs. Georgia Tech in t...

The Common Fans interrupt their summer series on Tom Osborne to discuss the latest comments from Scott Frost. 

• In case you hadn’t noticed, Scott Frost is in the news again. 
• When asked what he learned from his time at Nebraska, Frost said, “Don't take the wrong job.”
• He went on to say, “I got tugged in a direction to try to help my alma mater and didn't really want to do it. It ...

In the third episode of their deep dive into Tom Osborne’s career, the Common Fans talk to Husker legend Steve Taylor and former Lincoln Journal Star sportswriter Ken Hambleton about TO’s teams of the 1980s. 

• TO takes things to another level.
• With five conference titles from 1980 to 1989, Nebraska had more wins than any other college football team in the decade. 
• Huskers co...

In the second episode of the Common Fans’ deep dive into Tom Osborne’s career, the boys look at TO’s early days as Nebraska’s head coach in the 1970s. 

• Husker legend Tom Ruud discusses his days playing for both Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne. 
• Long time sportswriters Mike Babcock and Brandon Vogel also join the conversation. 
• Changing of the guard from Devaney to Osborne. 
• Early struggles to beat Oklahoma. 
• Storyline that TO “can’t win...

The Common Fans launch their new summer series focused on Tom Osborne’s coaching career with a look at his time as an assistant to Bob Devaney. 

• If you wanted to make the case that God’s a Cornhusker, there might not be a better place to start than here: Tom Osborne arrived on Nebraska’s campus as a young graduate student in pursuit of a PhD within a month of Bob Devaney taking over as the Huskers’ head footba...

The Common Fans announce “TO,” a new series of episodes focused on Tom Osborne’s career at Nebraska. 

• Similar to last year’s series, “The Reckoning,” the Common Fans once again bring you a summer series to look back at certain aspects of Nebraska football history to help you survive until football season.
• As the offensive coordinator of the Huskers’ first two national championship teams, and the head coach for the other three, TO...

The Common Fans discuss the most essential players for the Nebraska football team in the coming season. 

• Optimism abounds at numerous positions of need. 
• While expectations are high for Matt Rhule in year 3, the Huskers will need numerous players who have been in the program for several years to take the next step. 
• They also need multiple transfers to have an immediate impact. 
• <...

The Common Fans share some of their (and their listeners') most extreme reactions–both meltdowns and celebrations–to Nebraska football games over the years. 

• One of the guiding principles of the Common Fan Podcast is: We Don’t Judge. 
• Whatever Nebraska football has made you do over the years, this is a safe place to share your experiences. 
• Whether it was punching the couch, putting...

The Common Fans go through the 2025 schedule and pick wins and losses for every game. 

• The ax forgets, but the tree remembers. It’s time for Nebraska football to be the ax again. 
• Early part of the schedule lines up well for the Huskers. 
• Under the lights at Arrowhead. 
• First conference game vs. Michigan a major opportunity. 
• Husker fans sweating the trip to Minneapolis?
• No one knows that to make of Northwestern. 
• Ending with a grind ...

The Common Fans discuss all the latest Husker news of the last week, including comments from Scott Frost and a new development with the Michigan game in September. 

• Frost’s inability to say the word “Nebraska.”
• Many Husker fans want to see the former player and coach succeed again at UCF, but it would help if he could acknowledge his time in Lincoln. 
• The absurdity of Michigan trying to slap its own wrist as a penalty for the chea...

What are the most pivotal games for Nebraska in 2025? What games will come to define the season for the Big Red? The Common Fans dive in for a discussion about the most important games on the schedule as the Huskers look to build on their bowl season in 2024. 

• Does anyone like PJ Fleck?
• The hate for Iowa burns strong. 
• First conference game at home vs. Michigan is massive. 
• USC is a mystery. 
• Surprisingly, Penn State doesn’t come up...

The Common Fans talk some big picture takeaways as spring ball wraps up and we look ahead to the 2025 season. 

1) Questions Questions Everywhere

• While optimism around the program is high, there are a number of questions that won’t be answered until the season starts in the fall.
• What will special teams look like under new coordinator Mike Ekeler?
• Can the defense continue its stellar play that has come to define the Rhule era?
• How mu...

The Athletic’s Mitch Sherman joins the Common Fans to talk Dana Holgorsen’s offense, what to expect from the Blackshirts, whether Special Teams can finally figure it out, and much more. 

• What will Nebraska’s offense look like under Dana Holgorsen?
• RB depth behind Emmett Johnson. Do they look to the portal? 
• Outlook for the WR corps, with true freshmen Cortez Mills and Isaiah Mozee showi...

The Omaha World Herald’s Evan Bland joins the Common Fans to talk all the latest with Nebraska’s spring football practice and look ahead to the coming season. 

• Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen’s recent comments about how the offense is progressing. 
• Running back depth behind Emmett Johnson an open question.
• Dylan Raiola fully invested: 

Josh Peterson joins the Common Fans to discuss a wide range of Husker football-related matters, including the topic that took over Husker Twitter early last week: whether or not there’s too much Nebraska football coverage, and whether anything can be learned from spring ball.  

• The Common Fans are shocked to learn there are people out there who don’t want to talk about the third team linebacker in March. 
• In...

The Common Fans take a deep dive into Nebraska’s wide receiver room, arguably the most exciting position group on the team and, hopefully, the Huskers’ best bunch of receivers in many years. 

• It starts at the top: new(ish) OC Dana Holgorsen is known as one of the best offensive minds in college football. 
• New position coach Daikel Shorts is Holgorsen’s one hand-picked assistant, and is a talente...

As the Nebraska football team begins spring practice, the Common Fans look at five players (plus a few honorable mentions) who are poised for breakout seasons in 2025.   

• Emmett Johnson – finished 2024 on a major high note and set to be THE GUY at running back in 2025. 
• Cortez Mills – the true freshman wide receiver most likely to make an immediate impact. 
• Keona Davis/Riley Van Pop...