September 3, 2025

Common Fan

Nebraska

Hosts:

T.J. Birkel, Matt Owens, & Geoff Langenberg

Podcast Inauguration:

October 10, 2023

Bio:

A Nebraska football podcast by the Common Fan, for the Common Fan, providing meaningful and engaging Husker football content combined with heavy doses of fun and frivolity. 

Reviews:

“These guys are my new Pavelka.” -Apple Podcast review

“Thank you for what you’re doing, I think you’re doing something very good for the state and the country and Cornhusker fans everywhere. Much continued success; see you at the football game.” -Chuck Hagel, former Secretary of Defense and U.S. Senator, on the Common Fan Podcast

Links

  • Survive and Advance: Nebraska Wins Ugly, and That’s OK
    by Common Fan Podcast on September 1, 2025 at 11:00 am

    The Common Fans discuss Nebraska’s thrilling win over Cincinnati at Arrowhead Stadium. -The Huskers showed plenty of promise on Thursday night, but the team also has lots to work on. -The Nebraska team that showed up at Arrowhead Stadium does not look like a playoff team…but that doesn’t mean the Big Red can’t still put together a special run in 2025. -The most important thing was getting out of Kansas City with a W, and the Huskers accomplished that. With the next two games against Akron and Houston Christian, there’s time to work on everything else. -Dylan Raiola looked solid, and kept mistakes to a minimum, but the Common Fans wonder if/when we’ll see the offense open it up. -The defense looks like a mixed bag after one week. Highlighted by some perfectly timed turnovers, the overall unit looks more explosive than in 2024. At the same time, the run defense looked awfully leaky at times. -After dominating the 2nd quarter, and taking a 13-3 lead into halftime, the Big Red looked poised to put Cincinnati away. Instead, the Huskers opening drive of the 2nd half stalled, and they were in a battle to the end. -Malcolm Hartzog made the play of the game, with a game-sealing interception in the end zone. -The Common Fans are celebrating all the Ws, and it feels great to see the Huskers open the season 1-0. This and so much more on the latest episode of the Common Fan Podcast! As always, GBR for LIFE! Subscribe on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@commonfanGBR Check out our website: www.commonfan.co Our Partners: You can now find all Common Fan videos and articles on www.huskermax.com as well as www.si.com/college/college-football/team/nebraska-cornhuskers. For more Husker coverage, check out Carriker Chronicles: https://carrikerchronicles.com/ For more college football coverage, check out The College Huddle: https://thecollegehuddle.com/ #nebraska #nebraskafootball #nebraskacornhuskers #huskers #huskerfootball #collegefootball #collegefootballplayoff #collegefootballpodcast #bigten #bigtenfootball #big10football #mattrhule #dylanraiola #football #footballpodcast #blackshirts #malcomhartzog #danekey #commonfan #commonfanpodcast #podcast #nebraska

  • Four Bold Predictions for Nebraska Football in 2025
    by Common Fan Podcast on August 25, 2025 at 11:00 am

    The Common Fans celebrate the end of the offseason and the beginning of another season of Nebraska football! Before getting to their bold predictions, there is much to discuss regarding the latest and greatest surrounding Husker football: -The debate over whether or not you can be a fan of more than one college football team. -National commentators predicting Nebraska in the playoffs. -Josh Pate, Phil Steele, Geoff Schwartz, Brandon Walker, and Zack Guggenheim among those predicting playoff potential for the Huskers this season. -Nebraska has announced captains for the 2025 season. -Matt Rhule’s podcast. -Nebraska’s depth chart for the opener against Cincinnati. -Four bold predictions for Nebraska football in 2025. And much more! Subscribe on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@commonfanGBR Check out our website: www.commonfan.co Our Partners: You can now find all Common Fan videos and articles on www.huskermax.com as well as www.si.com/college/college-football/team/nebraska-cornhuskers. For more Husker coverage, check out Carriker Chronicles: https://carrikerchronicles.com/ For more college football coverage, check out The College Huddle: https://thecollegehuddle.com/ #nebraska #nebraskafootball #nebraskacornhuskers #huskers #huskerfootball #podcast #collegefootball #collegefootballpodcast #collegefootballplayoff #bigten #bigtenfootball #mattrhule #dylanraiola #danaholgorsen #cfp #nebraska #podcast

  • Assessing the Final Four Games on Nebraska Football’s Schedule
    by Common Fan Podcast on August 22, 2025 at 11:00 am

    Mike’l Severe joins the Common Fans for the third of a three-episode series, breaking down every game on Nebraska’s schedule. The episodes will be released Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of this week, in anticipation of Nebraska’s first game next week. Today, Mike’l and the Common Fans go through the final four games on the Huskers’ schedule. On the game against USC in Lincoln: -With USC coming to Lincoln this year, the Common Fans hope for 20 degrees below zero and snow for this game. -Head Coach Lincoln Riley has seen his record get worse every year he’s been at the helm in LA, and while he might not be on the hot seat, his back is against the wall. -Mike’l sees a bounce-back season for the Trojans, as they have a ton of speed and have made significant upgrades in the transfer portal. Picks: -Mike’l: Loss -MattyO: Win -Geoff: Win -T.J.: Loss On the game vs. UCLA at the Rose Bowl: -Quarterback Nico Iamaleava – formerly of the playoff caliber Tennessee Volunteers – has transferred to UCLA. Many expect the Bruins to take a step forward in 2025. -The 2024 UCLA game may have been Nebraska’s worst performance of the season. The Huskers came out flat, and were never really in control against a then 2-5 Bruin team. -All four of the crew see the Big Red getting their revenge and beating UCLA at the Rose Bowl. Picks: -Mike’l: Win -MattyO: Win -Geoff: Win -T.J.: Win On the game against Penn State in Happy Valley: -Many among the national sports media see Penn State as the best team in the Big Ten in 2025. -James Franklin has stacked a ton of wins at PSU, but has struggled to beat ranked teams, and has developed a reputation for not being able to win the big one. Franklin brought in Jim Knowles as his new defensive coordinator for this season. -Penn State is likely to be a double digit favorite vs. the Huskers. For Nebraska to have a chance, they need to keep Drew Allar under 62% passing. -The whole crew sees the Nittany Lions as being too much for the Huskers. Picks: -Mike’l: Loss -MattyO: Loss -Geoff: Loss -T.J.: Loss On the Black Friday game vs. Iowa in Lincoln: -The anger about Nebraska’s 2024 loss to Iowa is never far from the surface. The Huskers dominated almost every aspect of that game and still found a way to hand the game away. -Nebraska has now lost nine out of 10 to the Hawkeyes. -Iowa comes into the season with a new quarterback, Mark Gronowski, who won the Walter Payton Award (given to the most outstanding offensive player in the FCS) in 2023. -Even so, the crew sees the Huskers getting the W on what will almost certainly be a freezing day in Lincoln. Picks: -Mike’l: Win -MattyO: Win -Geoff: Win -T.J.: Win Don’t forget–this is part of a three-episode series. If you haven’t had the chance to catch the first two episodes, make sure to do that before the season kicks off next week! With kickoff in less than a week, the Common Fans will have you frothing at the mouth in anticipation for Husker Football. Subscribe on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@commonfanGBR Check out our website: www.commonfan.co Our Partners: You can now find all Common Fan videos and articles on www.huskermax.com as well as www.si.com/college/college-football/team/nebraska-cornhuskers. For more Husker coverage, check out Carriker Chronicles: https://carrikerchronicles.com/ For more college football coverage, check out The College Huddle: https://thecollegehuddle.com/ #nebraska #nebraskafootball #nebraskacornhuskers #huskers #huskerfootball #collegefootball #collegefootballpodcast #cfb #cfb26 #bigten #bigtenfootball #mattrhule #dylanraiola #collegefootballplayoff #CFP #nebraska #podcast

  • Middle Four Games Represent the Ghosts of Nebraska Football Past
    by Common Fan Podcast on August 20, 2025 at 11:01 am

    Mike’l Severe joins the Common Fans for the second of a three-episode series, breaking down every game on Nebraska’s schedule. The episodes will be released Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of this week, in anticipation of Nebraska’s first game next week. Today, Mike’l and the Common Fans go through the middle four games of the Huskers’ schedule. On the game against Michigan State: -The crew sees Nebraska as being more talented than Michigan State, despite having a lot of respect for Spartan Head Coach Jonathan Smith. -With everyone having picked a win over Michigan the week before, there is some concern about a letdown following a huge win against a ranked, big name opponent. Picks: -Mike’l: Win -MattyO: Win -Geoff: Win -T.J.: Loss On the game at Maryland: -Lots of red flags and warning signs for this year’s Maryland team. -Curious comments recently from Head Coach Mike Locksley about problems in his locker room in 2024. -There have been some suggestions–even from Maryland sources–that the Terrapins will be a dumpster fire this season. -Nebraska can’t take anyone for granted, especially in their first road game of the season, but all four of the guys see the Huskers coming out on top in this one. Picks: -Mike’l: Win -MattyO: Win -Geoff: Win -T.J.: Win On the game against old nemesis PJ Fleck and the Minnesota Gophers in Minneapolis: -Mike’l points out that Nebraska has not won back-to-back road games in consecutive weeks since 2006. -With the game being played on a Friday night, Huskers will have a short week after having traveled to Maryland. -This is a sneaky candidate to be one of the most challenging games on the schedule for the Big Red. Picks: -Mike’l: Loss -MattyO: Loss -Geoff: Loss -T.J.: Win On the game against Northwestern in Lincoln: -The new world of NIL and transfer portal don’t exactly work in Northwestern’s favor. -Mike’l doesn’t know what to think about this year’s Wildcats, as he wouldn’t be surprised to see them go 8-4 and wouldn’t be surprised to see them go 4-8. -Lots of respect for Head Coach David Braun. Picks: -Mike’l: Win -MattyO: Win -Geoff: Win -T.J.: Win Don’t forget–this is part of a three-episode series, all of which will be airing this week! With kickoff just around the corner, the Common Fans will have you frothing at the mouth in anticipation for Husker Football. Subscribe on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@commonfanGBR Check out our website: www.commonfan.co Our Partners: You can now find all Common Fan videos and articles on www.huskermax.com as well as www.si.com/college/college-football/team/nebraska-cornhuskers. For more Husker coverage, check out Carriker Chronicles: https://carrikerchronicles.com/ For more college football coverage, check out The College Huddle: https://thecollegehuddle.com/ #nebraska #nebraskacornhuskers #nebraskafootball #huskers #huskerfootball #gobigred #GBR #gbr4life #collegefootball #collegefootballpodcast #podcast #bigten #bigtenfootball #mattrhule #dylanraiola #danaholgorsen #blackshirts #nebraska #podcast

  • First Four Games Will Set the Tone for the Entire Season for Nebraska Football
    by Common Fan Podcast on August 18, 2025 at 11:01 am

    Mike’l Severe joins the Common Fans for the first of a three-episode series, breaking down every game on Nebraska’s schedule. The episodes will be released Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of this week, in anticipation of Nebraska’s first game next week. Today, Mike’l and the Common Fans go through the first four games of Nebraska’s schedule. On the opener against Cincinnati: -The crew sees some concern with this one. After two consecutive losing seasons to begin their tenure in the Big 12, Cincinnati is expected to be better this year. -Mike’l even suggested that he would be less surprised to see Nebraska lose to the Bearcats than he would to see them lose to Michigan. -The Huskers have struggled in the recent past with openers very similar to this one: away from home against Power 5 opponents. -Nebraska will be favored, but the Big Red will need to show up dialed in and ready to play. Picks: -Mike’l: Win -MattyO: Win -Geoff: Win -T.J.: Win On Akron and Houston Christian: -The guys see the Huskers rolling to victory in both of these games. -Perhaps beating Akron–the team Scott Frost was supposed to play in his first game back at Nebraska before it got canceled due to lightning–will help to expel whatever demons have possessed the program these last several years. -HCU will be an 11am kickoff against an FCS opponent. Husker fans will need to make their own energy for this one…or at least bring some coffee. Picks for both games: -Mike’l: Win -MattyO: Win -Geoff: Win -T.J.: Win On the big one against Michigan, Nebraska’s first conference game of the year: Mike’l predicts the Wolverines will be better in 2025 than they were in 2024, and sees them as a top 25 team. Some intrigue with this game: Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore will not be in attendance, as part of Michigan’s punishment for the sign-stealing scandal from a few years ago. This game will be a huge tone-setter for the Huskers. They are unlikely to be favored, and a loss will certainly not derail the season. But a win would be a huge boost as the Big Red looks to take a leap in year three under Matt Rhule. Picks: -Mike’l: Win -MattyO: Win -Geoff: Win -T.J.: Win Don’t forget–this is part of a three-episode series, all of which will be airing this week! With kickoff just around the corner, the Common Fans will have you frothing at the mouth in anticipation for Husker Football. Subscribe on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@commonfanGBR Check out our website: www.commonfan.co Our Partners: You can now find all Common Fan videos and articles on www.huskermax.com as well as www.si.com/college/college-football/team/nebraska-cornhuskers. For more Husker coverage, check out Carriker Chronicles: https://carrikerchronicles.com/ For more college football coverage, check out The College Huddle: https://thecollegehuddle.com/