Five takes from Nebraska’s time at Big Ten Media Days

INDIANAPOLIS – Here are five takes from Nebraska’s time at Big Ten Media Days on Thursday.

Without a doubt, the biggest Nebraska story on Thursday in Indianapolis was Trev Alberts. It was Alberts’s first official duty representing NU on the big stage, and he didn’t disappoint.

Alberts was an outstanding representative for NU. He carries himself with the poise and class you would expect to see from a Big Ten Conference leader.

He knows what to say and most importantly how to deliver it. He also fits right in the room like he has been there for years.

In some ways he has. Between his playing days at both Nebraska and the Indianapolis Colts, along with his time at ESPN he already knew several faces in the room.

After seeing Alberts in action, it makes you wonder if there even was a runner-up for the AD job. There’s no question Nebraska has the right leader now in place to take them through the next journey of college athletics.

Scott Frost was as relaxed as I’ve seen him at a Big Ten Media Days event.

There’s no question Frost has learned a lot over the last three years at NU. He’s probably said some things at events like this he’d like to have back.

On Thursday he sounded like a coach that really likes his football team, but also completely understands why none of the experts do.

As Frost said on Thursday, it’s hard to argue the preseason pick of fifth by the Big Ten Media. The bottom line is to get the respect you have to earn it.

Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren talked for nearly 45 minutes on Thursday, but it’s hard to say what we really learned.

Nobody knows the COVID-19 protocols for the Big Ten yet in 2021, and after going through 2020 that should be a concern to anyone.

Warren also said he wouldn’t change much from a year ago if he had a chance to do it over again.

“Maybe the communication wasn’t as clean and perfect as it could have been at times, and I think you’ve seen improvement with that, that’s one of the reasons why it’s good to have people like John Schwartz here with us, but all in all as I look back last year was a year of gratitude, it was a very, very complicated time in our lives,” Warren said.

Last week I thought it was interesting how much Nebraska Chancellor Ronnie Green and Athletic Director Trev Alberts went out of their way to express their commitment level to the Big Ten Conference.

Maybe Green knew something at that time we know now. Did Green have an idea what was coming with Oklahoma, Texas and the Big 12?

Regardless, this week was another opportunity for Alberts and NU to mend some fences from the last year and reaffirm Nebraska’s commitment level to the Big Ten Conference.

With what’s going on right now in the Big 12, there is no better place for the Big Red to be than the Big Ten.

Usually, when you are picked fifth in the preseason poll, media days is the perfect opportunity to fire back and question the media.

That was not the case at all by Nebraska on Thursday. Everybody understands why they are picked fifth.

Nobody is going to question Wisconsin and Iowa at one and two. I think three to five with Northwestern, Minnesota and Nebraska are pretty close, but reputation and results matter.

Northwestern lost nearly everyone from a year ago, but the reputation of their program puts them at three. Minnesota returns the most starters in the league, and they beat Nebraska with a skeleton roster in Lincoln.

If NU would’ve publicly questioned the preseason poll today, it would have been a bad look. Everybody knows what needs to happen. Just win.

Sean Callahan can be reached at sean@huskeronline.com and he can be heard each day at 6:45 am and 5:05 pm on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during the football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha during the fall and each week he appears on NET’s Big Red Wrap-Tuesday’s at 7 pm.