Final take: Frost, Nebraska doing their best to manage the hype
CHICAGO - Scott Frost can downplay it all he wants, but to walk into Big Ten Media Days as the favorite to win the West on Thursday was a source of pride.
Frost or none of his three players would say it in those words, but you could feel it in their voices as they addressed the upcoming season on Thursday.
None of the players on the roster have ever been in a position like Thursday where they were picked to win the division by the league's media, and no matter how much they try to downplay that it, it's added even more excitement heading into this season thinking what might be.
“When a young man signs on at Nebraska there’s an expectation to compete for championships,” sophomore quarterback Adrian Martinez said. “Whether that be Big Ten championships or national championships. That’s the expectation and that’s the way it should be.
"I want that to remain and bring it to another level. Become a more consistent program, one that’s steady. I think me and the rest of my teammates and coach Frost, that’s what we are aiming to do. We are aiming for success - a program that plays for each other. One that has a purpose.”
NU Athletic Director Bill Moos also didn't shy away from expressing his feelings about what direction the program is heading.
“I think Scott has his people under control. They are going to play within themselves," Moos said. "The hype is good. Nebraska is definitely on the way back in the sport of football and I’m looking forward to a real big year.
“The hype is good because this is Nebraska, we’ve got a brand. We need to get it dusted off where it belongs."
However, like any coach, Frost tried to temper things.
Sure there are questions on the offensive, at inside linebacker and other key position groups, but that's most teams right now. The bottom line is Frost thinks his team has the maturity level to handle the expectations being tossed their way.
“I don’t care who people are picking,” Frost said. “I really don’t. There’s a lot of good teams in our league. There’s a lot of teams in our league that beat us last year who we didn’t beat. I know we are better than we were a year ago, but we still have to go out and earn everything.
"Picks are picks. Guesses are guesses. 90 percent of the time you guys are wrong when you guess things. We are excited. There’s going to be some confidence that comes along with that, but I don’t think we have the type of team that’s going to get distracted by that.”
The next step now is winning. NU finished 4-2 down the stretch. They played Iowa, Northwestern and Ohio State all into the late fourth quarter.
For this program to take that next step, everybody knows what needs to happen.
“We are a lot more confident this year,” Martinez said. “I think that just comes from ending the season on a strong note, and also the work that we know we’ve been putting in this off-season. We’ve just grown as a team, and not only that, but there’s just a different feel and I’m excited about it.”
“Our expectation should be to win. It shouldn’t be just to compete. At no point is losing acceptable at Nebraska.”