Nebraska head coach Scott Frost appeared on an Orlando radio station Thursday morning to clear the air about his comments that he wished his championship ring won at Central Florida didn’t say “National Champions.”
Frost told USA Today last week that if he had stayed at UCF, he’d have a hard time getting behind Central Florida’s claim of a national title.
“I kind of wish my ring just said ‘Undefeated Season’ and ‘Peach Bowl Champion,'” Frost told USA Today.
Frost said on 96.9 The Game on Thursday, he doesn’t take back a word.
“I don’t regret saying it. I’m so proud of that team and will be forever and happy for those guys, and I don’t want anything I said in an answer having the appearance of diminishing what we accomplished,” Frost said.
In regards to the ring, Frost said the two national title rings he won at Nebraska in 1995 and 1997 are the most important things to him from his time as a Husker.
“The ring kinda shows what you accomplished and something you can take away from it and be proud of the rest of your life,” Frost said. “And with the importance that I put on something like that, I just felt like the (UCF) ring should say what we accomplished, and what everyone agrees we accomplished.”
UCF went 13-0 in Frost’s second season as head coach. The Knights never cracked the top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings. They knocked off heavily favored Auburn in the Peach Bowl, which was Frost’s final game at UCF. He was announced as Nebraska’s next coach just hours after UCF’s American Athletic Conference title win over Memphis in December. UCF finished No. 6 in the final Associated Press Top 25.
Frost was asked by one of the radio hosts if he thought he “sold out” by leaving UCF for a Power Five school, which is perceived to benefit more in the College Football Playoff system.
Frost said no, and that he still believes the playoff should be eight teams, not four.
“Right now there’s a system in place that crowns a national champion and I think it’s better than when I was in college,” Frost said. “I think it should be eight with five conference champions and three at large teams. That would open up a door to a team like UCF that has a great year to get it in.”
Frost reiterated that he and the Nebraska coaching staff — all of whom coached for UCF last season — remain UCF fans and are hoping the Knights have another undefeated season. When asked if he’d reached out to former players about his comments, Frost said no, and said maybe it’s time for everyone to move on.
“I do think it’s time for us to move on, we’ve got a real big job to do up here to get Nebraska where it should be and where it belongs and I know UCF’s gotta move on and try to get another undefeated season,” Frost said. “We’re excited up here, we’re going to cherish our time at UCF forever. UCF is a special place in my heart, and Nebraska is a special place in my heart.”
