Let’s rewind to 2021 for a moment - Nebraska vs. Oklahoma, a matchup steeped in history, rivalry, and big-stage expectations.
But as a resurfaced radio segment is making the rounds on social media, we’re learning that Scott Frost, then in his fourth year as head coach of the Huskers, wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea of facing the Sooners that year. In fact, according to longtime Nebraska reporter Steven Sipple, Frost called him - twice - to float the idea of canceling the game altogether.
Yes, you read that right. Canceling the Oklahoma game.
Sipple shared the story during a segment on 93.7FM The Ticket, saying Frost reached out to gauge whether there might be support for backing out of the non-conference showdown. Sipple was firmly against it, but the conversation raises a deeper question: was Frost simply trying to protect a program he felt wasn’t ready for the national spotlight?
Let’s unpack that.
Nebraska Held Its Own - But Frost Had Concerns
First, for context, Nebraska didn’t get steamrolled in that game. They lost 23-16 in Norman - a respectable showing, especially considering where the Huskers were as a program at the time.
Oklahoma was still in the Big 12, and still very much a national powerhouse. Nebraska, meanwhile, was trying to find its footing under Frost, who was entering a pivotal season after three underwhelming campaigns.
According to Sipple, Frost’s thinking was pretty straightforward: We’re not ready for Oklahoma. This could hurt us more than it helps.
Now, on the surface, that sounds defeatist - especially for a coach brought in to restore Nebraska’s edge. But dig a little deeper, and you start to see where he might’ve been coming from. If you’re trying to rebuild a program, facing a top-tier opponent early in the season - one you’re not equipped to beat - could derail momentum before you even hit the conference slate.
And that’s not just a Nebraska problem. It's a college football problem.
The Scheduling Dilemma: A Bigger Picture
Here’s where Frost’s thinking might have actually been ahead of its time. The current landscape of college football scheduling is, frankly, a mess.
Power Five programs often lock in marquee non-conference matchups years - sometimes more than a decade - in advance. That’s how we end up with games scheduled for 2035 when we don’t even know what the playoff format or conference alignments will look like by then.
It’s a system that doesn’t account for how quickly programs can rise or fall. A game that looks like a blockbuster when it’s scheduled might be a lopsided mismatch by the time it’s played. And for programs in transition - like Nebraska under Frost - those games can do more harm than good.
Let’s also talk about scheduling imbalance. At the time, Big Ten and Big 12 teams were already playing nine conference games, while SEC and ACC schools got away with eight - and often tossed in a late-season cupcake to boot. That’s a real difference in workload, and it’s one that’s rarely acknowledged when the College Football Playoff committee starts comparing résumés.
So when Frost looked at his roster and saw a team still trying to find its identity, maybe the idea of canceling a high-stakes, high-risk non-conference game wasn’t as crazy as it sounded. It wasn’t about ducking competition. It was about managing development, morale, and the long-term arc of a rebuild.
Should He Have Said It Out Loud? Maybe Not. But Was He Wrong?
Of course, there’s a flip side to this. Frost was in Year 4.
If the program wasn’t ready for a marquee matchup by then, that’s at least partly on him. He was hired to elevate Nebraska back into the national conversation, and games like Oklahoma are where that kind of progress is measured.
Still, in hindsight, his concerns weren’t entirely misplaced. The college football world is evolving rapidly - with realignment, expanded playoffs, and new scheduling models all in play.
The idea of being more flexible with non-conference scheduling, and not locking teams into matchups a decade in advance, is gaining traction. Frost may have been one of the first to voice it - even if it came in a moment of vulnerability.
So while social media might be having fun at his expense today, there’s a case to be made that Scott Frost wasn’t just trying to dodge a tough game. He was grappling with a bigger issue that many coaches face but few are willing to say out loud: sometimes, the schedule doesn’t set your team up to succeed - and that’s a conversation worth having.