Moos sees Peach Bowl as a marketing commercial for Nebraska
When Nebraska announced the hiring of Scott Frost on Saturday, immediately there were questions on if he'd be able to still coach No. 12 ranked UCF in their bowl game.
The Knights take on No. 7 ranked Auburn in the Peach Bowl on New Year's Day at 11:30 am CST. This year's Peach Bowl will serve as the lead-in game for the two College Football Playoff semifinal games on ESPN.
On Sunday, Frost confirmed that he would take part in the Peach Bowl with his former team, and it's a decision that Husker Athletic Director Bill Moos fully supports.
“Not everyone can make that work, but Scott Frost can,” Moos told HuskerOnline. “He’s very organized, extremely intelligent – he deserves to coach ‘his team.’ Especially being undefeated and being in a January 1 game. I think it would bring proper closure to this chapter in his coaching career.”
Central Florida is currently a 10 point underdog against the Tigers. UCF is the only undefeated team in the FBS, and a win would cap off a magical 13-0 season.
The challenge will be managing the next two weeks of recruiting, and staff hires back in Lincoln while communicating with UCF interim head coach Troy Walters on the game plan for the Peach Bowl.
Frost was adamant though on Sunday they can make this month work, as recruiting hits the dead period Dec. 17 before the Dec. 20 early signing day. That would still give him time to get back to Orlando for a few practices and be with his former team for the entire bowl trip.
“I think we still have some talking to do as far as it relates to the bowl game down there,” Frost said. “We’re looking forward to recruiting for the next couple weeks until the dead period. I don’t want to leave the players down there without a coach. They deserve to have the best chance they possibly can, especially in the bowl game they qualified for.
"So it all works out, I’ve got to go back and help those kids one more time. It’s a neat and special group down there that we all feel very strongly about. It coincided with recruiting, so hopefully, we can get some recruiting done and get back down there, and it all works out and help, and then get back on the road up here.”
In January of 2008, former Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini stayed on to coach LSU's defense in the BCS national title game against Ohio State, as did two of his future NU assistants John Papuchis and Mike Ekeler. That same year Tim Beck also delayed his arrival to Nebraska to coach Kansas in the Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech.
When Moos looks at this situation, he fully supports Frost and his coaching staff going to Atlanta for the Peach Bowl. If anything, Moos sees it as an opportunity to promote Nebraska.
“You can’t put a price tag on it,” Moos said. “It’s a three and a half hour marketing commercial for Nebraska football. Because that’s what those guys are going to be talking about, the announcers. They are going to be showing ‘Scott Frost in Nebraska’ and all of this. Then recruits are going to be watching that offense and go ‘boy, I could fit into that.’ I think for whatever small negatives there might be, there are tons more positives.”
