Nebraska’s Frost wants to play — could UCF oblige?

Could UCF face off against former coach Scott Frost and his Nebraska team during the 2020 season?

It seems anything is possible in 2020, a year that has upended all norms in college football.

Frost and the Huskers have protested the Big Ten’s decision to cancel fall sports and attempt to play football in the spring due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are very disappointed in the decision by the Big Ten Conference to postpone the fall football season, as we have been and continue to be ready to play,” the Huskers wrote in a joint statement signed by University of NebraskaLincoln chancellor Ronnie Green, University of Nebraska system president Ted Carter, Nebraska athletics director Bill Moos and Frost.

“Safety comes first. Based on the conversations with our medical experts, we continue to strongly believe the absolute safest place for our student-athletes is within the rigorous safety protocols, testing procedures and the structure and support provided by Husker Athletics.

“We will continue to consult with medical experts and evaluate the situation as it emerges. We hope it may be possible for our student-athletes to have the opportunity to compete.”

Enter UCF, which is working to fill at least one gap on its schedule previously occupied by North Carolina. The Knights also are waiting to learn whether scheduled opponent Florida A&M can break away from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and play the Knights as an independent team.

Frost isn’t alone. Penn State coach James Franklin said he’s going to exhaust every option while trying to see if he can help his team play games despite the Big Ten decision.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day and Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh both lamented the Big Ten’s move, although their university administrators have indicated they will not play football in the fall.

It’s one thing to protest, it’s another to quickly put together a schedule with the necessary safety protocol and play games.

The NCAA left the decision whether to play up to each school, but it is challenging to do so without the support of a conference. And the Big Ten suggested to ESPN it expected all its members to follow the league’s lead if they hoped to remain members in the future.

Frost argued during a videoconference Monday it would be unfair to ask his team to play two seasons in one year, stacking what would have been 2020 games in the spring and traditional 2021 games in the fall.

“We’re a proud member of the Big Ten,” Frost said Monday. “We want to play a Big Ten schedule. I think the only reason we would look at any other options is if for some reason the Big Ten wasn’t playing and only a handful of teams from the Big Ten wanted to continue playing. If that’s the case, I think we’re prepared to look at any and all options.”