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Published Feb 21, 2018
Take Two: Can Frost deliver winner to hungry Nebraska fans?
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Adam Gorney  •  Rivals.com
National Recruiting Director
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@adamgorney

Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.

CASSIDY: Frost's name carries weight in central Florida

MORE TAKE TWO: Can Oklahoma rule Lone Star State recruiting in 2019? | How solid is Crouch at No. 1?

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position

THE STORYLINE

Nebraska fans are thrilled about seeing the spring game with first-year coach Scott Frost taking over.

So much so that the Huskers sold out of 90,000 spring-game tickets in about one day and now some tickets are going for as much as $500 on ticket sites. This is for the spring game, a meaningless scrimmage that rarely gives any indication of what a team could be once the season rolls around.

Yet here are the Nebraska fans - a rabid bunch to be sure - prepared to fill the stadium to get a sense of what their team will look like come the fall. Hope and excitement are high and Frost has done everything possible to make the Husker faithful excited about football again.

Recruiting was a big key. The Huskers finished third in the Big Ten rankings behind only Ohio State and Penn State but above Michigan and Michigan State and - perhaps more importantly - ahead of every Big Ten West foe by a decent margin.

Nebraska settled in at No. 21 nationally, sandwiched between Tennessee and Virginia Tech. Frost finished the 2018 recruiting class with a flourish, landing three-star prospects from California, Florida, Texas and Alabama, and wrapping up with four-star linebacker Caleb Tannor out of Georgia.

Can Frost make Nebraska an immediate contender in the Big Ten West?

FIRST TAKE: SEAN CALLAHAN, HUSKERONLINE.COM

“I think for the most part people are just excited. Nobody is expecting this team to win the Big Ten, or even the West for that matter in 2018, but I do think people are expecting to see an improved brand of football on the field. What excites people the most is Frost understands the type of culture you have to build to have success here. The 14-0 season he had at UCF capped off by beating Auburn also really fueled the excitement, along with the strong finish in recruiting. Nebraska fans are always going to be supportive, and their passion for the program is second to none. This is a team that hasn't won a conference title since 1999, and they sold out the spring game in just 25 hours.”

SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM

“It’s going to take a little time. You have a whole scheme change there and he’s going to have to fill the roster with guys he feels comfortable with.

“I gave him an ‘A’ when I was rating the new head coaches and the job he did. The only one who got a better grade was Florida State coach Willie Taggart who got an A-plus, so you can’t really go wrong with what he’s been doing. As far as if they’re going to win the Big Ten West, Wisconsin is pretty formidable.

“Frost is doing a good job, though, and if he gets the parts he wants, they will be a contender more than they were under Mike Riley."

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