The NCAA Football regular season ink is dry, and the dye is cast.
So who are they? Who are those teams that fell significantly short of meeting the expectations of their followers? Disappointment can and does come from a few angles. The program’s history builds in annual minimum standards. A new, and maybe highly paid, coach can further that. A good recruiting year or three can further that. Some teams are bad but somewhat expected. Some are disappointing and somewhat unexpected.
So far the disappointments by conference have been Washington in the PAC 12, Florida St. (ACC) Texas (BIG 12), and Texas A&M (SEC). While selecting the last three of these teams we wrote the following. Usually in year two of a new coaching staff’s run the ascent begins. After all, you have two years of your own recruits. You may have run off a few that you don’t want. The transfer portal can accelerate your personnel transformation. You have instilled the weight and nutritional training that you want to shape your team. Your culture is, or better be, in place. Your staff has had two springs and two falls to “coach em up.” If it’s a big time program money/budgets are generous to accomplish all of the above.
This series concludes today a bit later than intended, but a lot quicker than the nonsense in Washington DC. So, last but not least, to the BIG 10 we go. And, once again, we find a team with a rather highly touted second year coach at the helm.
Most Disappointing
As a player, Scott Frost, now the Nebraska head coach, was coached by Stanford’s Bill Walsh, Nebraska’s Tom Osborne, the New York Jets’ Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick, and the Buccaneers’ Mike Tomlin and Jon Gruden. That is one impressive list of teachers.
As a coach, Frost worked under Chip Kelly as first the WR coach, then took over the reins as OC at Oregon. He helped Marcus Mariotta guide the prolific offense and win the Heisman in 2014. After the 2015 season he took over an 0-12 UCF program. They immediately started to turn around. In 2016 they finished 6-6 and in 2017 they won 13 and lost none, won the American Conference Championship and took down then ranked #7 Auburn in the Sugar Bowl. That is one impressive turn around.
So optimism was high
when the former Cornhusker player took the reins as it’s head coach in early 2018. Nebraska finished 4-8 in 2018. It just finished a 5-7 campaign this year that included a 2-4 record v Big 10 West Division foes, and 3-6 against the Big 10 in all. Their wins came against South Alabama, Northern Illinois, Illinois, Northwestern and Maryland. The better teams on their schedule scored early and often v the leaky D. The best teams like Ohio St., Minnesota, and Wisconsin beat them by 41,27, and 16 respectively proving that the road to success is still in the distance.
Against similar competition ,PJ Fleck guided the Golden Gophers to a 9-0 record in year three of his turnaround before fading (1-2) some in November. Fleck’s first two teams went 5-7, then 7-6. Perhaps the third time will be the charm for Frost and the Cornhuskers as well. His resume points to that possibility, and his paycheck demands it.
Nebraska is the most disappointing team in the BIG 10.
Also Considered
Northwestern finished in the cellar of the East Division with a 1-5 record against that side, 1-8 in conference, and 3-9 overall. In 2018, Northwestern captured the Big Ten West division title for the first time in school history, finishing with an 8–1 mark in conference play. They went on to beat Utah in the Holiday Bowl as well. It was a stunning and hard drop from last season to this one for the Wildcats.
It was indeed disappointing, but at Nebraska it’s been too long since they tore down the goal posts. More is expected.