In a little over a month, Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts must decide who he thinks can best lead the Husker football program into the future.
That sounds like ample time, but it really isn’t.
In fact, the Nebraska football season that Husker fans couldn’t wait to get here is half over.
At the midway point, the Huskers are 3-3. Note: If you’re a masochist, ponder this: Had the Huskers been able to beat a terrible 1-5 Northwestern team in Dublin, Ireland, and a Sun Belt Conference Georgia Southern team in Lincoln, the Huskers (gulp!) would be sitting fat and sassy with a 5-1 record with six games to go.
Let that sink in for a while.
Sadly, those two early losses were games Nebraska let slip away. Even more tragic, those losses were by a total of six points. That’s when Scott Frost was the head coach.
I won’t list all the possible candidates to be the new head coach, but current interim head coach Mickey Joseph probably has the inside track to get the job.
As all Husker fans know, Mickey’s record is 2-1 with both wins coming over teams that aren’t very good. (I’m not diminishing those wins – it’s doubtful the previous head coach would have been able to eke out even those two wins.)
How many more victories does Mickey’s team need to earn him the permanent title?
It would surprise no one if the minimum goal is six wins and a bowl invitation. If that is the case, Mickey has a decent chance to make it happen All the Huskers have to do is go 3-3 the rest of the way.
Left on the Husker schedule is @Purdue (4-2) this Saturday night, then after another bye week, and a home game against Illinois (5-1) on the 29th. November is when the meat of the schedule happens with a home game against Minnesota (4-1) on November 5th, a November 12th game at Michigan (6-0), at home on November 19th vs Wisconsin (3-3) and @Iowa (3-3) on November 25th to close out the regular season.
Win all three home games and the Huskers go bowling. Bingo, Mickey Joseph is the probable new Husker head football coach.
But what if the Huskers don’t make it to six wins? The final stretch will have some tough opponents. Five of those games are toss-ups, while Michigan seems to be the only probable loss for Nebraska. Let’s also say, if the Huskers lose the rest of the games, but all six are one-score losses, would Trev hire MJ because his kids fought hard?
Nah. Alberts just fired a coach whose team had the same record last year with eight losses coming by just one score. It’s hard to imagine MJ getting the head coaching position unless the Huskers finish at least with a bowl invitation.
But if the Huskers do get six wins by the end of October (possible, but not probable), MJ looks to be a shoo-in for the job.
What if Nebraska goes into Iowa City on November 25th needing one more win to become bowl eligible? What if the Huskers lose that game? Remember, Nebraska hasn’t beaten the Hawkeyes since 2014 – that’s seven straight losses. If that is the case, NU would end the season with a 5-7 record. I doubt if that would get MJ the job.
Scroll to Continue
But what if Mickey doesn’t get to six wins? Can’t Alberts just take his time and name a new head coach later in December?
I don’t think so.
Again, why? There are a couple of dates in December that may force an early decision by Trev Alberts.
One reason is that the transfer portal rules for FBS teams have been revised this season. Beginning Monday, December 5th, the window for players to enter the transfer portal will be open and will run for 45 days until Tuesday, January 18th, when the door closes. That means any football coaching staff will have to be settled by the first part of December. With the season ending at Iowa November 25th, that gives Nebraska and Trev Alberts just 10 days to assemble a new Husker staff.
Also looming is the early signing date for the 2023 recruiting class which this year is Wednesday, December 21st.
What if Mickey has to wait until the Iowa game to see if he can get to six games? How does Alberts keep another coach on the line waiting to see what Mickey Joseph does? What potential head coach is going to put up with that?
So what if Mickey does get to six wins with a couple of weeks to spare? Will Alberts pull the trigger earlier in November?
Probably not.
I think either option, Trev will still wait until either Sunday, November 27th or the latest, the following day to make his announcement.
Why? Because I think that’s the deal he’s made with MJ and the other candidates.
If Trev were to make the Joseph announcement earlier, the rest of Mickey’s staff will want to know if they’ll be able to keep their jobs, right? That’s going to put Mickey in a pickle. All the recruits (and potential transfers) will need to know if the coaches who recruited them will still be there.
Remember, the transfer portal clock begins ticking December 5th.
If this Husker coaching change can come off without a hitch, Trev Alberts will more than deserve to get extra combat pay for driving on such treacherous roads.
How ’Bout Them Huskers
Grandson Will and I discuss the Rutgers game and analyze the Purdue game in this week’s podcast. Don’t miss it!
Get your Huskers tickets from SI Tickets here.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login