{
  "id": 13082290,
  "title": "Selling urinals won't eliminate Nebraska stench. Beating Indiana will | Opinion",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/selling-urinals-wont-eliminate-nebraska-stench-beating-indiana-will",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-09T09:31:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/selling-urinals-wont-eliminate-nebraska-093135570.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nebraska is pouring over half a billion dollars into revamping its college football program and selling memorabilia, including urinals. This is symbolic of the state's struggle to regain relevance over the last two decades. If it can't eliminate the stench, why not get rid of it altogether? However, Nebraska might actually profit from the process, as opposed to spending millions trying to eliminate the problem.\n\nIndiana, the current underdog in college football, is not skipping any opponents and follows the flawed blueprint of the College Football Playoff. The defending national champion is entering Lincoln this Saturday with an attitude reminiscent of Alabama's.\n\nNebraska, once a dominant force in college football, has not won a game against a ranked team since 2016. This is 31 games in a row. Matt Rhule, the new coach, has a history of turning around struggling programs, including Temple and Baylor. Rhule believes that his fourth Huskers team is \"just a better football team\" than previous iterations. However, this team is 19-19 after three seasons and has received a contract extension, which seems to be a continuation of past strategies.\n\nNebraska's recent performance has shown improvement, with wins against winnable opponents. The team appears tougher, smarter, and plays with an attitude rarely seen in the past. They are performing well in crucial areas, such as not turning the ball over and not allowing the defense to struggle. They have also improved their offensive line play, which has been a major issue in the past. The addition of new talent, including a quarterback named Anthony Colandrea and a freshman tailback named Jamal Rule, has given the team a boost. The defense, known as the Black Shirt defense, has shown progress, allowing fewer yards per play and forcing turnovers.\n\nRhule acknowledges that Nebraska is not a perfect team and will not be able to dominate opponents easily. However, he hopes that the newfound grit, mentality, and toughness will be evident in their upcoming matches. The challenge, as always, is beating Indiana, the current favorite in college football.",
  "summary": "Nebraska has spent years and millions chasing relevance. With Indiana coming to Lincoln, Matt Rhule's rebuild finally faces its biggest test.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}