2018
- Minnesota (7-6): A very average team that was very young and down to 2nd/3rd string QBs. They finished the season strong after firing an ineffective Defensive Coordinator.
- Bethune Cookman (7-5, FCS): An over-matched FBS team scheduled on short notice.
- Illinois (4-8): The second-worst team in the conference. Not a good team. One-dimensional offense led by a former N?U castoff at QB.
- Michigan State (7-6): This team had a great defense and a horrible offense. They were down to their backup QB, who just wasn't very good. Three fourth-quarter FGs ended up being enough to win.
2019
-- South Alabama (2-10): Finished in last place in the SunBelt. We put up 35 points against them, but only 14 were scored by the offense.
-- Northern Illinois (5-7): Finished the season playing pretty well after a terrible start with their new head coach. A middle-of-pack MAC team.
-- Illinois (6-6): Thank goodness we played them when they did, before they upset Wisconsin and gained some confidence. If I remember correctly, they were coming off of a loss to Eastern Michigan.
-- Northwestern (3-9): The second-worst or maybe third-worst team in the conference. They had a fairly salty defense, but an absolutely awful offense. They were missing several starters, including their top 2 QBs, top RB, and top WR. We needed a late interception and a last-second FG to beat them in Lincoln.
-- Maryland (3-9): Okay, this was probably the second-worst team in the conference. This team looked like it had quit late in the season, much like 2007 Nebraska and 2017 Nebraska.
So there you have it. It's not just that Frost lacks a signature win, but he hasn't even beaten a good team. Our "best" wins in two years are 2018 Minnesota, 2018 Michigan State, and 2019 Illinois. The moral here is that we have only beaten conference teams that are really bad (or, on occasion, very average) and non-conference teams that are completely over-matched.
Looking at this in some detail is very sobering. It doesn't suggest that we are close to any sort of turn-around. I didn't think I could feel worse about Frost's 9-15 start here, but now I do.
If this pattern holds up, then who do we beat in 2020? Probably Central Michigan and Rutgers. Possibly Purdue, South Dakota State, Illinois, and Northwestern... but probably not all four of them.
- Minnesota (7-6): A very average team that was very young and down to 2nd/3rd string QBs. They finished the season strong after firing an ineffective Defensive Coordinator.
- Bethune Cookman (7-5, FCS): An over-matched FBS team scheduled on short notice.
- Illinois (4-8): The second-worst team in the conference. Not a good team. One-dimensional offense led by a former N?U castoff at QB.
- Michigan State (7-6): This team had a great defense and a horrible offense. They were down to their backup QB, who just wasn't very good. Three fourth-quarter FGs ended up being enough to win.
2019
-- South Alabama (2-10): Finished in last place in the SunBelt. We put up 35 points against them, but only 14 were scored by the offense.
-- Northern Illinois (5-7): Finished the season playing pretty well after a terrible start with their new head coach. A middle-of-pack MAC team.
-- Illinois (6-6): Thank goodness we played them when they did, before they upset Wisconsin and gained some confidence. If I remember correctly, they were coming off of a loss to Eastern Michigan.
-- Northwestern (3-9): The second-worst or maybe third-worst team in the conference. They had a fairly salty defense, but an absolutely awful offense. They were missing several starters, including their top 2 QBs, top RB, and top WR. We needed a late interception and a last-second FG to beat them in Lincoln.
-- Maryland (3-9): Okay, this was probably the second-worst team in the conference. This team looked like it had quit late in the season, much like 2007 Nebraska and 2017 Nebraska.
So there you have it. It's not just that Frost lacks a signature win, but he hasn't even beaten a good team. Our "best" wins in two years are 2018 Minnesota, 2018 Michigan State, and 2019 Illinois. The moral here is that we have only beaten conference teams that are really bad (or, on occasion, very average) and non-conference teams that are completely over-matched.
Looking at this in some detail is very sobering. It doesn't suggest that we are close to any sort of turn-around. I didn't think I could feel worse about Frost's 9-15 start here, but now I do.
If this pattern holds up, then who do we beat in 2020? Probably Central Michigan and Rutgers. Possibly Purdue, South Dakota State, Illinois, and Northwestern... but probably not all four of them.