Fansided

3 college football programs that need to hire Matt Campbell

By Nathaniel Reeves

AMES, IA - SEPTEMBER 3: Head coach Matt Campbell of the Iowa State Cyclones coaches from the sidelines in the first half of play against the Northern Iowa Panthers at Jack Trice Stadium on September 3, 2016 in Ames, Iowa. Northern Iowa Panthers won 25-20 over the Iowa State Cyclones (Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images)
AMES, IA - SEPTEMBER 3: Head coach Matt Campbell of the Iowa State Cyclones coaches from the sidelines in the first half of play against the Northern Iowa Panthers at Jack Trice Stadium on September 3, 2016 in Ames, Iowa. Northern Iowa Panthers won 25-20 over the Iowa State Cyclones (Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, IL – JULY 25: Nebraska head coach Mike Riley on the podium addressing the media during the Big Ten Media Days on July 25, 2017 at Hyatt Regency McCormick Place located in Chicago, Illinois (Photo by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – JULY 25: Nebraska head coach Mike Riley on the podium addressing the media during the Big Ten Media Days on July 25, 2017 at Hyatt Regency McCormick Place located in Chicago, Illinois (Photo by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Nebraska Cornhuskers

It’s no secret that Nebraska’s first choice to replace Mike Riley will be Scott Frost, a former Cornhuskers quarterback who has UCF in the hunt for a New Year’s Six bowl just two seasons after going winless. However, strange things happen on the college football coaching carousel, and Nebraska should have Campbell in mind if Frost doesn’t work out.

While nothing is official yet, it seems inevitable that Riley will be fired in 2017 after his third full season on the job. The Cornhuskers have an 18-15 record under Riley, have been routinely blown out by the better teams in the Big Ten over the past two years, and suffered an ugly home loss to Northern Illinois during a 3-4 start this season.

Nebraska and Riley was a strange fit to begin with, and it certainly hasn’t worked out to date. Riley’s fate was likely sealed on Sep. 21 when Nebraska fired athletic director Shawn Eichorst, as whoever takes over the role will likely want to bring in their own coach.

The Cornhuskers were consistently in the 9-10 win range under Riley’s predecessor Bo Pelini, but want to get back to the glory days of being a perennial title contender. Campbell would be able to raise Nebraska’s ceiling to that level given his body of work so far, and would have crucial recruiting ties in nearby areas after spending his entire head coaching career in the Midwest.

Riley probably won’t be the first major head coach to be dismissed this year and Nebraska will likely be waiting on Frost, so some other program might scoop up Campbell first. Still, the Cornhuskers should have some backup options if Frost stays at UCF, starting with Campbell.

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