Nicholls
4-8 2025 finalNicholls is the Thibodaux Colonels that won three Southland titles in six years (2018-2023), then hired a new coach and are learning whether the success was the system or the program.
Quiet weeks in Colonels country.
Nicholls is the Thibodaux Colonels that won three Southland titles in six years (2018-2023), then hired a new coach and are learning whether the success was the system or the program.
Tim Rebowe left Nicholls, and first-time FCS head coach Tommy Rybacki arrived to a program that finished 4-8 (4-4 SLC) in his first season. The narrative of 2025 was patience and transition: a program that won three Southland titl…
Offseason
69 days
until kickoff · Sun Aug 30 · 17:00 UTC
The 2026 Outlook
The Pulse on Nicholls
What moved it — offseason · last 30 days
Aspiration Ladder
Brief Part III §33.4 · Nicholls
The baseline expectation.
The annual recruiting proof point.
Conference qualifier or at-large.
Championship weekend. Top-4 in the country.
Nicholls · Next-Season Outcome Band
Floor / Base / Ceiling
Variance assumed at ±2 wins from last-season record. Replace with the season-path projection once preview data is built.
Who We Are
Fanbase Health Index · Nicholls · medium confidence
Stable (47)
Home-Field Advantage · Nicholls · 2018-present
Elite
60% home win rate vs 27% on the road. margin runs +15.1 better at home.
Act IIILast Season Reviewed
2025 season · tap to expand
Recent Form · last 10 games
Mixed
Three of five. Trending up, not yet hot.
Southland Standing · 2025
7th in the Southland
Nicholls is 7th of 10 in the Southland at 4-8. The path to the title is steep — the focus is on playoff positioning and rivalry wins.
| # | Program | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen F. Austin | 11-3 |
| 2 | UT Rio Grande Valley | 9-3 |
| 3 | SE Louisiana | 9-4 |
| 4 | Lamar | 8-5 |
| 5 | Incarnate Word | 5-7 |
| 6 | McNeese | 5-7 |
| 7 | Nicholls | 4-8 |
| 8 | East Texas A&M | 3-9 |
| 9 | Houston Christian | 2-10 |
| 10 | Northwestern State | 1-11 |
Schedule Strength · Nicholls · 2025
Balanced
Average opponent win rate 51% across 12 finalized games. No top-25 opponents, but mid-tier slate kept the schedule honest.
Moment of the Year · Nicholls · 2025
Won 20-6 vs Incarnate Word
Week 1 of 2025. The single game that defined the season's arc.
Playoff History
Recent postseason (2023): 0-1
Most recent: 2023 — loss 35-0 (away). Last 5 postseason: 0-1.
From the Archive — Nicholls
2021: Lost 17-42 at Memphis
In 2021, the program lost 17-42 at Memphis — a stinging road result, 25 points either way.
Go Colonels.