The Gators should have talked to Nebraska before it made its Scott Frostian mistake
Remember when the Nebraska football program was consumed by almost winning? When close losses were treated as though they were decisive victories? When Scott Frost was afforded an extra season as head coach, he never should have received.
While Husker fans hope that the athletic department has learned its lesson, it appears the Florida Gators are still ignorant in that regard. On Thursday morning, the once-SEC power and now conference also-ran announced that head coach Billy Napier was being retained.
Nothing in life is more certain than death and taxes. If Benjamin Franklin was still around, he might add "keeping coaches because of their close losses, backfiring" to the list. It sure seems like the Gators are going to wish they'd looked a bit closer at the Nebraska football situation a few years ago. Or get someone from the Huskers' athletic department on the phone first.
Florida is doing the same dumb thing as Nebraska football did
The Gators should have taken the Scott Frost situation into account when considering, there was a vocal group of NU fans who were excited about keeping the former quarterback around. Florida fans are not feeling that love.
The public vote of confidence for a coach with a losing record in nearly three seasons at the helm of a once-proud program is enraging most of its fanbase. On that issue, the two programs are quite different. But there are so many similarities between Billy Napier and Scott Frost that it should be scary for people down in Gainesville.
Bill Napier is currently 15-18. When Scott Frost was brought back for one more season - which ended up being three more games - he was 15-29. Obviously, Naper has had a little more success in a little less time, but the records are still frighteningly similar.
Then there's the most likely reason Napier got his vote of confidence. There was the six-point loss to No. 8 Tennessee. There was last week when the Gators held their own against Georgia.
In 2021, there was Nebraska football's 32-29 loss to No. 9 Michigan, a seven-point loss to No. 3 Oklahoma. A 3-point loss to No. 20 Michigan State. And on, and on and on.
Most fans in Florida know better. They know those close losses are nice but that also there is a hard ceiling on their program under Billy Napier. There were plenty of people *cough* in Nebraska who knew the same about Scott Frost.
The Florida Gators will have to fire Billy Napier at some point in the near future. Now they might follow the Nebraska football program and send him packing in the middle of next season. And that's not good for anyone.