Once upon a time, the Nebraska Cornhuskers were the most powerful program in college football. That’s right, Nebraska was more dominant than Alabama, Clemson, and Georgia. And it wasn’t really that close. However, for the past 25 years, Nebraska has been all past and no future. NU’s last winning season with the college football odds was in 2016. Such a record would have been considered unfathomable even a decade ago. Additionally, 5th-year head coach Scott Frost has been an utter flop. Frost barely kept his job after a 3-9 record in 2021.
Nebraska Cornhuskers Future Odds at SBG
| Prop | Odds |
|---|---|
| To Win the National Championship | +13500 |
| To win the Big Ten Conference Championship | +1400 |
| Over-Under Win Total | 7.5 |
Frost Warning in Nebraska
Scott Frost is quite fortunate to be the Nebraska head coach still. Consider that Frost had to take a severe haircut in salary and buy-out to remain. Nebraska has gone 4-8, 5-7, 3-5, and 3-9 under Frost. That is far below what was expected when Frost was hired after leading UCF to an undefeated season in 2017. Indeed, Frost was the hottest coaching name in the game at that time. Equally important was that Frost is a Nebraska native. He was the quarterback of the 1997 national championship team. Thus, he was considered a grand slam home run hire.
At the onset of his arrival, Frost bragged that Nebraska would dictate terms to its sportsbook opponents. But his finesse offense was mauled by the Big Ten bruisers. Frost has had to make concessions in return for Nebraska’s old power option scheme. Subsequently, he made the greatest concession of all at the end of last season. Frost hired Pitt-offensive Mark Whipple to take over the unit.
Whipple Brings Veteran Wisdom and Strong Record of Success
Last year Mark Whipple engineered one of the most productive offenses in college football. Whipple put Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett on the final stage of the Heisman Trophy presentation. Most important of all, Pitt won the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship. By all accounts, Whipple has a national reputation for being a great offensive mind. Nebraska will have an updated approach this year and a new quarterback.
No More Martinez
At the beginning of Scott Frost’s tenure, Adrian Martinez was his starting quarterback. And Frost rarely wavered during the four years that Martinez was at Nebraska. Martinez was a frustrating study for Nebraska fans and gamblers. Martinez would often flash moments of brilliance and superior athletic ability. On the other hand, Martinez was a turnover machine that cost Nebraska when it mattered most with the College football betting odds.
Martinez entered the transfer portal at the end of the 2021 campaign and is now with Kansas State. Namely, Casey Thompson arrives as a transfer from the Texas Longhorns. Thompson is the probable starter for Nebraska this season. And he is no stranger to learning new systems. Thompson, Nebraska, and Whipple all have a clean slate. In turn, they face the desperate demands of the greatest fan base in college football.
So Close and Yet So Far
Last year Nebraska went 3-9. Yet the Huskers could have won all nine of those defeats. Special teams and turnovers proved to be too much for Nebraska to overcome. This year there is the belief that Nebraska is due for a few breaks.