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Nebraska’s new athletic director grabbed a controversy last week and brought it down to the ground in the same way he did with opposing players when he was a former All-American linebacker for the Cornhuskers. By confirming that the football program was under NCAA investigation for what initially appeared to be minor violations, Trev Alberts was providing context for the future of Nebraska football.
This new AD, five weeks of work, is in charge. His football coach, Scott Frost, might as well be warned.
You don’t need all the quotes. Let’s just say ADs aren’t there to rush for a microphone after being caught in an NCAA investigation. All you had to do was read the body language. Frost was quickly introduced to reporters with Alberts in the lead in an impromptu press conference addressing the investigation.
The coach looked like a kid who had been caught passing grades in fifth grade math. Frost looked ashamed.
“We just wanted to recognize that there is an NCAA investigation,” Alberts said.
Schools under NCAA control have literally gone years without admitting it. So yes, it’s fair to assume that Alberts staked out his territory in Lincoln.
The subtext: The frost is on, well, the ice thin. The Nebraska legend enters Year 4 with a new AD that examines his disappointing 12-20 record at his alma mater. Those two things – a record under 0.500 and a new AD – are never a good combination for a struggling coach.
The man who hired Frost, Bill Moos, “retired” this summer. (Resigning five days after the announcement – 18 months after his contract ended – suggested something other than retirement.)
This record needs to be excavated. There has been no three-game winning streak. Only nine of the wins came against competition from FBS. The last time Nebraska went this long without bowling (four years) was in 1959.
If the decline continues, Frost’s best security could be a buyout that exceeds $ 20 million.
“It tells me I’d better start winning,” said a smiling Frost during an uncrowded appearance in Kearney, Nebraska this summer. “Starting to feel like the Charlie Daniels Band – was really big, now he just plays county fairs and stuff like that.”
Overall, the Week Zero opener against Illinois is the most gripping game of Saturday’s short schedule. This is a game Frost would be advised to win.
The Illini won by 18 last year at Lincoln. Illinois arrives armed with that confidence and the momentum of new coach Bret Bielema back in the Big Ten.
The discussion itself over whether Nebraska will be relevant again appears to be muted. There are bigger stories within the Big Ten alone, from Jim Harbaugh’s survival in Michigan to Penn State’s expected rebound on whether Ohio State will pass regardless of the conference.
In that sense, even the hype train has passed through Nebraska. It is a former power trying to gain weight both on the ground and in the national conversation.
“Nebraska is not a factor in the minds of college football hopefuls,” said Barrett Sallee, college football writer for CBS Sports. “Seniors recognize what Nebraska used to be, but it’s a thing of the past. Gamers these days see it as another school that’s more or less an afterthought in the Big Ten.”
It might be hard for the average 18-year-old to remember the greatness of Frost Hall of Fame coach Tom Osborne. It is all so disturbing. Frost was a home run hired in 2018: native son, national champion, Osborne’s last offspring quarterback.
Frost had the chops (Oregon offensive coordinator, UCF coach) and the energy to remake his Huskers. The timing seemed perfect. Frost’s springtime play almost had a spiritual touch.
Today, Nebraska’s 2022 class is currently ranked last in the Big Ten, according to the 247Sports Composite. There are other signs of Nebraska’s decline. More than 30 players have been transferred since 2020. At the end of July, reports indicated that the record-breaking streak of 375 sold-out games was in jeopardy.
“We have work to do,” Alberts said of the streak.
Nebraska is still the biggest name on the schedule this Saturday. That statement may never be made again this season. This is partly a function of the Huskers a) playing on week zero and b) there are only five FBS games on week zero.
Nebraska remains in that handful of teams that make the sport better when it’s good. But college football did very well. The Huskers were unable to develop the momentum needed despite playing in the “other” division of the Big Ten.
They only have one Big Ten West division title in their 10 seasons in the league. The last conference title for Nebraska came in 1999, while still in the Big 12.
The program entered a familiar hiring rut that plagued several prominent names. In 2018, Frost became Nebraska’s fourth coach since 2004. Before Frost, none of them had particularly distinguished themselves as a head coach.
Frost was different. The gel was better. Now Frost has been warned.
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