Frost is returning for 2022

[TGHusker]

Just saying, after this past weekend that was wild in college football both on and off the field I can certainly take comfort in knowing we have at least one more year of stability at the top of the program.

Yes, this is one thing I appreciate about the decision.  Of course next year could be a hot year but it is hard to believe it will be as hot as this year. This also buys us more time to work on what we want to be & who would fit that vision if Frost is let go next year. 

 

[gossamorharpy]

Your right cause I can hear all those excuses already. CTB gone, Jojo gone, new O staff. Need more time. If I sold time shares I would start with Nebraska fans 

And yet here you are tuning in every week and on this board regardless of the direction of the progrum or next steps you may or may not agree with!

 

[FrantzHardySwag]

Just saying, after this past weekend that was wild in college football both on and off the field I can certainly take comfort in knowing we have at least one more year of stability at the top of the program.

Their success has lead to their instability. Just like Nebraska in the past. If you are chasing titles, underperforming for one year feels like the end of the world. Make no mistake if Frost was at Florida or Texas and getting the results he has gotten at Nebraska - there would be a circus following him as well. I guess being a s#!t show for 5 years has paid off and numbed us to 3-9, 4-8 type seasons. My biggest comfort is the fact Trev laid down some real expectations and next year we can finally s#!t or get off the pot. 

 

[BoNeyard]

Their success has lead to their instability. Just like Nebraska in the past. If you are chasing titles, underperforming for one year feels like the end of the world. Make no mistake if Frost was at Florida or Texas and getting the results he has gotten at Nebraska - there would be a circus following him as well. I guess being a s#!t show for 5 years has paid off and numbed us to 3-9, 4-8 type seasons. My biggest comfort is the fact Trev laid down some real expectations and next year we can finally s#!t or get off the pot. 

That adds to the comfort in the decision, in that it is well known that if he underperforms next year he won't be retained and fair enough. Everyone is on the same page and everyone has the understanding. Frost got a very rare second chance and the fate of his coaching career at Nebraska is completely in his hands for this upcoming season and with that I find comfort in whatever decision comes following the 2022 season.

 

[TGHusker]

That adds to the comfort in the decision, in that it is well known that if he underperforms next year he won't be retained and fair enough. Everyone is on the same page and everyone has the understanding. Frost got a very rare second chance and the fate of his coaching career at Nebraska is completely in his hands for this upcoming season and with that I find comfort in whatever decision comes following the 2022 season.

Was there a specific win/loss record or bowl game goal in the contract or is it somewhat objective on how he will be judged next year?

 

[BoNeyard]

Was there a specific win/loss record or bowl game goal in the contract or is it somewhat objective on how he will be judged next year?

I haven't looked into the specifics and I don't think they were released, but my guess is if he goes to a bowl game next year he is retained for at least another one or two years. Making a bowl game is a tangible thing to show progress was made with this new staff so of course it becomes a 'let's see what they can do with a little more time under their belt'. I say no bowl game and he is gone and I think that is a result everyone will be in agreeance with and enough for those to recognize and admit Frost just won't work out here, but find comfort in knowing he was given ample amount of time and opportunity.

 

[TGHusker]

I haven't looked into the specifics and I don't think they were released, but my guess is if he goes to a bowl game next year he is retained for at least another one or two years. Making a bowl game is a tangible thing to show progress was made with this new staff so of course it becomes a 'let's see what they can do with a little more time under their belt'. I say no bowl game and he is gone and I think that is a result everyone will be in agreeance with and enough for those to recognize and admit Frost just won't work out here, but find comfort in knowing he was given ample amount of time and opportunity.

If 6-6 earns a bowl game, that is a bit underwhelming for me to accept as the standard for retention - esp wt next year's schedule. I hope more is expected.  

For me, either he makes a splash or he must be dashed!   Move him out and move someone in. 

 

[Huskers93-97]

If 6-6 earns a bowl game, that is a bit underwhelming for me to accept as the standard for retention - esp wt next year's schedule. I hope more is expected.  

For me, either he makes a splash or he must be dashed!   Move him out and move someone in. 

I agree. I think it should have tiers. 

6 wins or less you are fired. 

7-8 wins you keep your job. But no extension and you keep the reduced salary for 1 more year. 

9+ wins and your salary goes back to 5 million and earn 1 year extension.

 

[BoNeyard]

Everyone keeps saying next years schedule is easy. What about it is really that much easier than this years? Sure we don't get Ohio State or Michigan State, but we still get Michigan and of course everyone in the Big Ten West which has proven to be a pretty tough division. Nebraska has been trending downward, while Wisconsin has stayed  the same, Iowa has either stayed the same or has gotten slightly better, Purdue has trended upward, Minnesota is trending upward and is always tough, Illinois is trending upward, and any given year Northwestern can be good or bad. 

I just feel the gap between Nebraska and a majority of the Big Ten West schools is rather large and I don't see some major closure in that gap. We should be 3-0 going into the Oklahoma game next year, but we could've said the same thing about this season, that we should have been undefeated going into the Oklahoma game. Looking at next years schedule I could see the Iowa game being the game that gets us that 7th win or gets us that 6th loss. There is a chance we have only one loss going into the Michigan game, but I see a potential for weeks of losing after that Michigan game. 

I can easily see us going into that Iowa game at 6-5 and that is thinking we overcome Indiana and Illinois, two teams that have had recent success against us. It's just where our program is at, compared to the rest of the Big Ten, there really is no gimme games in this conference for us at this time. I am extremely worried about that Northwestern game because I already have memories of this years Illinois game.

 

[Huskers93-97]

Everyone keeps saying next years schedule is easy. What about it is really that much easier than this years? Sure we don't get Ohio State or Michigan State, but we still get Michigan and of course everyone in the Big Ten West which has proven to be a pretty tough division. Nebraska has been trending downward, while Wisconsin has stayed  the same, Iowa has either stayed the same or has gotten slightly better, Purdue has trended upward, Minnesota is trending upward and is always tough, Illinois is trending upward, and any given year Northwestern can be good or bad. 

I just feel the gap between Nebraska and a majority of the Big Ten West schools is rather large and I don't see some major closure in that gap. We should be 3-0 going into the Oklahoma game next year, but we could've said the same thing about this season, that we should have been undefeated going into the Oklahoma game. Looking at next years schedule I could see the Iowa game being the game that gets us that 7th win or gets us that 6th loss. There is a chance we have only one loss going into the Michigan game, but I see a potential for weeks of losing after that Michigan game. 

I can easily see us going into that Iowa game at 6-5 and that is thinking we overcome Indiana and Illinois, two teams that have had recent success against us. It's just where our program is at, compared to the rest of the Big Ten, there really is no gimme games in this conference for us at this time. I am extremely worried about that Northwestern game because I already have memories of this years Illinois game.

Is it an easy schedule if you are a s#!tty team? No. Is it an easy schedule for a blue blood program in the 5th year of a new coach? If that coach wants to keep his job it should be. If it is a hard schedule that is just further evidence we don't have the right coach. Year 5 we should not be looking at Illinois as a toss up game. That means we are not the program we are supposed to be. There are 4 blue blood programs in the big 10. Nebraska, Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State. Do you think the other 3 would look at this schedule and be saying man I hope we get 7 wins.

 

[BoNeyard]

Is it an easy schedule if you are a s#!tty team? No. Is it an easy schedule for a blue blood program in the 5th year of a new coach? If that coach wants to keep his job it should be. If it is a hard schedule that is just further evidence we don't have the right coach. Year 5 we should not be looking at Illinois as a toss up game. That means we are not the program we are supposed to be. There are 4 blue blood programs in the big 10. Nebraska, Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State. Do you think the other 3 would look at this schedule and be saying man I hope we get 7 wins.

Maybe it is the recent downfall of this program and the near two decades of being rather irrelevant on the football field, but I've realized something over this past year about Nebraska football. It isn't the same as it used to be and college football isn't the same as it used to be when we became that blue blood. Love the Huskers, but we aren't playing in 1980's 1990's against historically bad programs such as; Missouri, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kansas and Oklahoma State. Where in the Big 8 the one big game a year we had was against Oklahoma.

What made Nebraska a power back in the 70's-90's? Television. Hats off to Devaney and Osborne and the state of Nebraska and the Cornhusker fans who made the TV networks at the time want to air Nebraska games because they were successful and the fanbase was invested and supportive therefore it all meant money to the networks. So back then, when games weren't widely broadcasted like they are today, it meant something to go play for Nebraska because you would be on tv and your family from wherever they were could watch you play. But the landscape has all changed. Nebraska no doubt was way ahead of the times, it's the very reason we are Nebraska and we are what we are today with our brand, but everyone else has caught up, the facilities, the strength and conditioning program, the tv appearances, all of it, has caught up to and with some programs has surpassed Nebraska. 

Now in the Big Ten we are far away from our relatively local rivals and recruiting has had to change. We aren't going up against the Missouri's, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa States of the 80's and 90's, we are going up against modern day Big Ten teams where the landscape of college football is pretty even. Sure we have trophies from years past to show off compared to the programs like Iowa or Wisconsin, but if we take off the rose colored glasses we see that to any current recruit, they weren't alive when Nebraska was chasing national championships, I mean does Minnesota sell their titles from the 40's to current recruits? We are far from that far away, but at what time do you stop selling your decades ago historical success?

Now not all hope to returning to our glory days is lost, although I am not a huge fan of the NIL deals, it could become a major benefit to Nebraska because of how big football is to the state and this fan base, it may help increase our recruiting classes again and may give us another advantage in recruiting sort of like how our innovation in strength and conditioning, facilities and being on TV did for us in the 80's and 90's. Only time will tell, but I've come to realize how much college football has changed and caught up to what once made Nebraska unique and set them apart from everyone. So as it stands, we really aren't any better or different than Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue, and the rest of what is perceived as middle of the pack to lower tier Big Ten teams. We have a lot of work to do and it's harder than we probably think.

 

[Huskers93-97]

Maybe it is the recent downfall of this program and the near two decades of being rather irrelevant on the football field, but I've realized something over this past year about Nebraska football. It isn't the same as it used to be and college football isn't the same as it used to be when we became that blue blood. Love the Huskers, but we aren't playing in 1980's 1990's against historically bad programs such as; Missouri, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kansas and Oklahoma State. Where in the Big 8 the one big game a year we had was against Oklahoma.

What made Nebraska a power back in the 70's-90's? Television. Hats off to Devaney and Osborne and the state of Nebraska and the Cornhusker fans who made the TV networks at the time want to air Nebraska games because they were successful and the fanbase was invested and supportive therefore it all meant money to the networks. So back then, when games weren't widely broadcasted like they are today, it meant something to go play for Nebraska because you would be on tv and your family from wherever they were could watch you play. But the landscape has all changed. Nebraska no doubt was way ahead of the times, it's the very reason we are Nebraska and we are what we are today with our brand, but everyone else has caught up, the facilities, the strength and conditioning program, the tv appearances, all of it, has caught up to and with some programs has surpassed Nebraska. 

Now in the Big Ten we are far away from our relatively local rivals and recruiting has had to change. We aren't going up against the Missouri's, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa States of the 80's and 90's, we are going up against modern day Big Ten teams where the landscape of college football is pretty even. Sure we have trophies from years past to show off compared to the programs like Iowa or Wisconsin, but if we take off the rose colored glasses we see that to any current recruit, they weren't alive when Nebraska was chasing national championships, I mean does Minnesota sell their titles from the 40's to current recruits? We are far from that far away, but at what time do you stop selling your decades ago historical success?

Now not all hope to returning to our glory days is lost, although I am not a huge fan of the NIL deals, it could become a major benefit to Nebraska because of how big football is to the state and this fan base, it may help increase our recruiting classes again and may give us another advantage in recruiting sort of like how our innovation in strength and conditioning, facilities and being on TV did for us in the 80's and 90's. Only time will tell, but I've come to realize how much college football has changed and caught up to what once made Nebraska unique and set them apart from everyone. So as it stands, we really aren't any better or different than Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue, and the rest of what is perceived as middle of the pack to lower tier Big Ten teams. We have a lot of work to do and it's harder than we probably think.

NO offense but I think the segment of the fan base who thinks like this have just given up. We are 1 good hire away from being good again. Many programs have gone through down times- hell Nebraska went through 8 coaches from 1940-1960 chasing the right coach and then we hit on Devaney and that set us up for the next 50 years. Times change, like anything in life you will have failures, you will have hard times. If you want to be the next Minnesota then accept s#!tty results. If you want to keep pushing to find greatness again you pick yourself back up and keep striving for greatness. The only way to turn into Minnesota is if Nebraska gives up. 

There really is an insane amount of excuses we tell ourselves. But at the end of the day they are just excuses. People say you can't recruit up north cause its cold. Well Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State do just fine. Well Nebraska is different cause they don't have a local talent pool so they have to recruit nationally- yep tell that to Oregon. I truly believe none of that matters when you have the right coach. What was clemson before Dabo? Look at Miami, Florida, Florida State, Texas, USC, LSU, Georgia, Tennessee, Notre Dame- all have had years of hiring and firing chasing the right guy. The list can go on and on. Or other programs who are historically irrelevant but when they had the right coach they did Great. Mangino at Kansas, Leach at Texas Tech, Bowling Green and Utah with Urban, stanford under harbaugh, kstate under snyder, baylor under briles. 

Honestly it is more about the coach than it is the program. BUT, the reason you see historically the same programs are good is because they are the programs who didn't accept mediocrity they kept chasing greatness. The ones who had 1 and done coaches accept the s#!tty results.

 

[JJ Husker]

If 6-6 earns a bowl game, that is a bit underwhelming for me to accept as the standard for retention - esp wt next year's schedule. I hope more is expected.  

For me, either he makes a splash or he must be dashed!   Move him out and move someone in. 

I agree. Just making a bowl game with next years schedule is not really showing progress imo. For me, the floor for retention needs to be 8 wins, and really, 9 or 10 is needed to show true improvement trajectory.

I might be goofy but he shouldn’t get credit for simply improving on this year’s abysmal, inexcusable W-L record, which should’ve resulted in him going just like the rest of the O staff. At the same time I’m somewhat glad we aren’t doing the whole staff change thing again. But that doesn’t change the fact he didn’t get the job done and didn’t deserve any different fate than the other 4 guys. 6 wins and a bowl game just isn’t enough in 2022. Unfortunately I think that’s all it will take for Trev to give him more time. Hopefully they get the 9 or 10 that are there for the taking and this will all be a moot discussion.

 

[BoNeyard]

NO offense but I think the segment of the fan base who thinks like this have just given up. We are 1 good hire away from being good again. Many programs have gone through down times- hell Nebraska went through 8 coaches from 1940-1960 chasing the right coach and then we hit on Devaney and that set us up for the next 50 years. Times change, like anything in life you will have failures, you will have hard times. If you want to be the next Minnesota then accept s#!tty results. If you want to keep pushing to find greatness again you pick yourself back up and keep striving for greatness. The only way to turn into Minnesota is if Nebraska gives up. 

There really is an insane amount of excuses we tell ourselves. But at the end of the day they are just excuses. People say you can't recruit up north cause its cold. Well Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State do just fine. Well Nebraska is different cause they don't have a local talent pool so they have to recruit nationally- yep tell that to Oregon. I truly believe none of that matters when you have the right coach. What was clemson before Dabo? Look at Miami, Florida, Florida State, Texas, USC, LSU, Georgia, Tennessee, Notre Dame- all have had years of hiring and firing chasing the right guy. The list can go on and on. Or other programs who are historically irrelevant but when they had the right coach they did Great. Mangino at Kansas, Leach at Texas Tech, Bowling Green and Utah with Urban, stanford under harbaugh, kstate under snyder, baylor under briles. 

Honestly it is more about the coach than it is the program. BUT, the reason you see historically the same programs are good is because they are the programs who didn't accept mediocrity they kept chasing greatness. The ones who had 1 and done coaches accept the s#!tty results.

Completely agree with you, I just think it is harder to win at Nebraska now than it was 25-40 years ago. It's harder for everyone now in college football. Absolutely the right coach could turn things around and that still could be Frost, I hope it is Frost, but I think it is just harder for Nebraska right now to elevate themselves because what sets them apart from any other of those Big Ten West Schools? Historical success sure, rabid fan base? Sure, we have the pieces, I just think in today's landscape it's harder to put all those pieces together. It can be done, hopefully it will be done, but it's not like it was.

Look at us through the 70's-90's. At that time in the college football world it was pretty much us and Oklahoma who invested in our football programs and we were the successful ones and with that success came revenue and university brand recognition across the country. I think by the late 80's and 90's programs like Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Colorado, started to see if they invest in their football programs, they too could receive that revenue and university recognition. What happened by the time early 00's came around? We suddenly couldn't win the Big 12 North, which on paper we should have never not been first in the Big 12 North. 

Yes we can get back to our winning ways and we could be either a few more right pieces along Frost away from achieving that, or a new coach away from achieving that, I just think it is a lot harder for us in this day and age to get back to the mountain top then what we think. We see ourselves as Nebraska and what we once were and think why we can't get back there. Well the whole system has changed and I think going back to firing Solich we were completely caught off guard at the changing landscape and it set us back a lot.

 

[Huskers93-97]

Completely agree with you, I just think it is harder to win at Nebraska now than it was 25-40 years ago. It's harder for everyone now in college football. Absolutely the right coach could turn things around and that still could be Frost, I hope it is Frost, but I think it is just harder for Nebraska right now to elevate themselves because what sets them apart from any other of those Big Ten West Schools? Historical success sure, rabid fan base? Sure, we have the pieces, I just think in today's landscape it's harder to put all those pieces together. It can be done, hopefully it will be done, but it's not like it was.

Look at us through the 70's-90's. At that time in the college football world it was pretty much us and Oklahoma who invested in our football programs and we were the successful ones and with that success came revenue and university brand recognition across the country. I think by the late 80's and 90's programs like Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Colorado, started to see if they invest in their football programs, they too could receive that revenue and university recognition. What happened by the time early 00's came around? We suddenly couldn't win the Big 12 North, which on paper we should have never not been first in the Big 12 North. 

Yes we can get back to our winning ways and we could be either a few more right pieces along Frost away from achieving that, or a new coach away from achieving that, I just think it is a lot harder for us in this day and age to get back to the mountain top then what we think. We see ourselves as Nebraska and what we once were and think why we can't get back there. Well the whole system has changed and I think going back to firing Solich we were completely caught off guard at the changing landscape and it set us back a lot.

You make some good points. I do agree with much of it. I do see it is a more difficult landscape to navigate today. But I also think today's coaches should be equipped to handle the current state of college football. The older coaches like Saban have shown how great of a coach they are because they have adapted to the new way of doing things and still been successful.