Heaven forbid that Scott Frost should say, when asked on CBS, that he thought Nebraska deserved "at least a share" of the National Championship.
(look up the video of the 1998 Orange Bowl --- Frost did use the phrase "at least a share." He also used the "share" verbiage in other comments in print)
I guess he was supposed to say "yeah, I know we're undefeated and all ourselves, we have a very good resume ourselves, we just whopped up on a very good Tennessee team, and we've competed hard and worked our own asses off on the field for 5 months now. Ignore all that. It's a certainty that Michigan would beat us if we played. Vote them #1, we're #2."
Michigan fans who still hate Frost and hold a 19-year grudge: I simply do not understand it. Get over it. Beating UCF 234-0 on Saturday won't "prove" anything as regards 1997 either.
How many times has a player been given a platform like that to trash another school on national TV? I can't think of another instance. If they were going to allow that, then Michigan should have been given a chance to respond.
The fact is, Nebraska used an illegal play (admitted by their own player) to be a mediocre Missouri team.
Of the common opponents that year, Michigan beat Colorado 27-3 (Nebraska won 49-21) and Baylor 38-3 (Nebraska squeaked by 27-24).
The only reason Nebraska jumped Michigan in the final coaches poll was as a retirement gift to Osborne.
And beating Peyton Manning, who won maybe one big game in college, is supposed to impress everybody? Please.
Here are Frost's full comments. Yeah, why would Michigan fans possibly have a problem with him??? HAA!
"So, it's up to the coaches. I'm so proud of this team and Coach Osborne, I don't want to see him go out without a championship. I basically have two points for the coaches:
"One, if you can look yourself in the mirror and say if your job depended on playing either Michigan or Nebraska to keep your job, who would you rather play? You watched the Rose Bowl and the Orange Bowl. Michigan won with a controversial play at the end. We took apart the third-ranked team in the country.
"The second point I have is: I can't see how any coach outside the Big Ten or the Pac-10 would vote for Michigan. Because if somebody from North Carolina, Florida State, West Virginia, Notre Dame--wherever it might--if they were undefeated and won the Alliance bowl game, they would expect to share the national title.
"I don't know who would win the game if we played Michigan. I think I know. I think all you guys know. The thing I'd like to say is: Who would be favored?
"I'd like to see the line on that game, because I think it would be seven, 10, 14 points (in Nebraska's favor). Any time that it's that way and you vote the other way, you've got to be crazy."