Lanes be damned.

With the expansion of the College Football Playoff from four to 12 teams, the Big Ten Conference and SEC are expected to earn a lion’s share of the playoff spots with the strength of both leagues. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule at Big Ten Media Days in July went so far as to say the Big Ten should be getting a third of the teams in the field.

“I think four teams from this league should get in the College Football Playoff every year,” Rhule said. “This is the best league. This is the NFL of college football in my mind. We stretch from coast to coast in different time zones.”

Following his comments, famed SEC analyst Paul Finebaum fired back at the Huskers coach while on the ESPN program “Get Up”.

“Matt, stay in your lane! Job one, win enough games to get to some stupid bowl game,” Finebaum said. “Don’t worry about the big boys, because you’re not one of them.”

Monday, as a guest on “The Jim Rome Show”, Rhule didn’t flinch when asked about his comments in regards to comparing the league his team plays in with the National Football League. Show host Jim Rome asked Rhule, what makes the Big Ten the best conference in his mind, even above the SEC.

“At the end of the day I never would disparage another league,” Rhule said. “The SEC is a tremendous league and I think, moving forward, when we go to a 14-team playoff, if that happens, I think you’ll see four Big Ten and Four SEC teams every year.”

“I just think, and I’m going to represent our league because I’m in it,” Rhule continued. “When you combine weather, travel, and different styles of play, you see a league unlike any other.”

In the same breath Rhule mentioned that the college football landscape has never seen a league that would have teams travel through so many time zones in order to play conference opponents, similar to NFL teams.

Although Rhule continues to praise the Big Ten in terms of being the best conference in college football, the AP Poll still has more SEC teams ranked, as eight Southeastern Conference teams appear in the top 25, with Georgia leading the way at No. 1.

However, the Big Ten can reply with the fact that each conference has four teams inside the top 10: Georgia, Texas, Alabama, and Ole Miss for the SEC and Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, and Michigan for the Big Ten.

The college football season begins this week but the Huskers wont see the field until Aug. 30, with their matchup against the UTEP Miners. That game will be played inside Memorial Stadium, with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. CDT and airing on FOX.

You can watch the full “Jim Rome Show”, including appearances from Rhule and legendary broadcaster Bob Costas, below.

MORE: Nebraska Football: Are the Huskers Ready to Win?

MORE: Former Nebraska Quarterbacks Falter for Starting Spots With New Teams

MORE: Nebraska Volleyball No. 2 in Preseason AVCA Poll; Set to Face 10 Top 25 Opponents

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI , following HuskerMax on X, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Twenty-five people were killed in traffic crashes on Nebraska roadways in July 2024, according to the Nebraska Department of Transportation.

The department reported that the 25 fatalities resulted from 23 fatal crashes. Of the 16 vehicle occupants killed, six were not wearing seatbelts, seven were using seatbelts, and the seatbelt status of three others was unknown, NDOT said.

Nineteen of the fatalities occurred in rural areas. One fatality happened on an interstate, 19 on other highways, and five on local roads.

Two pedestrians, six motorcyclists, and one person on an electric motor scooter were among those killed.

This report includes information available through Aug. 18 from the Highway Safety Section, Traffic Engineering Division and NDOT.

Click here to subscribe to our 10/11 NOW daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.

Copyright 2024 KOLN. All rights reserved.

GRAND ISLAND — The Grand Island Police Department is excited to welcome the return of the Nebraska State Fair this week to the city, but it’s also warning drivers of the expected annual uptick in traffic throughout the city over the next few weeks.

An influx of drivers will be primarily focused around the Fonner Park campus. To help facilitate the increase, the city has once again turned the Stuhr Road intersections of Fonner Park Road and Stolley Park Road into four-way stops. Trucks will also not be allowed to use Stuhr Road starting Friday, August 23 through Monday, September 2.

“State Fair time in Grand Island is always one of the most exciting parts of the year,” GIPD Chief Kevin Denney said. “We encourage all drivers to be a little more vigilant over the next 15 days as we welcome fairgoers from across the state and region.”

Fair festivities will begin Friday starting at 8 a.m. For more information, please contact Communications Manager Spencer Schubert at spencers@grand-island.com.