Frost Hire is Great, But September and Beyond Looms

Last month, Nebraska fired head coach Mike Riley after a dismal third season that brought an end to a tumultuous three year regime in Lincoln. Athletic Director Bill Moos then made the most important hire in Nebraska Football history in hiring Scott Frost to lead a once football power. 

Every elite program goes through a major lull at some point, Alabama from 2000-2008, Michigan from 2007-2014, Notre Dame from 1994-2011, because eventually legendary coaches retire because they can not coach forever. Nebraska has now had three consecutive coaches fail to win a conference title, a feat the program has not achieved sense 1999. If Nebraska is in fact in a lull and not a mediocre program, it would not include a fourth.  

The program is in dire straits to continue to be one of the blue blood programs of college football. Its 361 game sellout streak is hanging on by the smallest of margins, it has not even come close to a conference title sense leading Oklahoma 17-0 in 2010 and failing to finish, and the Huskers have not even won their own division sense 2012. Programs with little pedigree and success when compared to Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin, have passed Nebraska in terms of national relevance. 

It is hard to imagine what would happen if this new coaching hire failed, Nebraska would be 20+ years removed from a conference title and 25+ years removed from a National Title. Nebraska would be seen as steeping stone job for coaches, instead of a destination job, the sellout streak would end, Memorial Stadium would get emptier and emptier, and worst of all, people would start to find other things to worry about on fall Saturday’s. Meanwhile, Wisconsin and Iowa would be busy battling for conference titles with Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State, and Michigan. 

This is why Frost must succeed. Everybody knows Nebraska will not return to the 90’s, and that is fine. But to expect to turn the scoreboard from Iowa-40, Nebraska-10, to Nebraska-40, Iowa-10, and to annually play Wisconsin a competitive game for the West Crown is not expecting to much. Win three west titles every 5 years, win one of those conference title games against the titans in the East, and you have two conference titles every ten years, and at least one playoff appearance every decade.  

Everyone in state is hoping things start fast next year, and they very well could. Even though this years recruiting class is nothing special, the Huskers have a lot of talent coming back next year. Nebraska’s schedule next year is one of the hardest in the nation, with trips to Ann Arbor, Columbus, Madison, and Iowa City. Its anybody’s best guess as to what happens in 2018 or later, but Nebraska gave Frost the job of saving Nebraska Football, and he must succeed.