I’ve owned Heartland College Sports for over 10 years. And I’ve written thousands and thousands of stories for the website. However, I’ve never had a dedicated Monday column for you. It only seems appropriate to start now and play off of Monday, Mundo and Musings. So here we go with the first-ever, Mundo’s Monday Big 12 Musings: Edition 1.
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Did UCF Overpay Scott Frost?
The short answer looks to be, yes.
On Monday, UCF released the full details of Frost’s new contract, confirming a five-year deal that runs through January 2030, valued at $22.1 million. The guaranteed compensation starts at $3.9 million in 2025, with annual increases that put his salary at $5 million by the 2029 season. If the Knights make any bowl appearance during the life of the deal, Frost earns an automatic one-year extension at a $5.25 million rate.
UCF’s buyout is 75% of the remaining term. That could certainly be really costly if Frost doesn’t return UCF to its winning ways. And in the transfer portal era, it can be evident pretty quickly as to whether or not a coach is going to turn things around.
Frankly, what other Power 5 team was even looking at Frost? The last time he was a head coach he lost nine of his final 10 games in the Big Ten.
To be clear, I’m rooting for Frost to win at UCF. I want it to work out for him and the Knights in a storybook reunion between both sides. But I’m not seeing the value here at a time when every dollar spent on a coach, could be used instead on a player.
This deal seems more generous than was necessary. And no matter what, if Frost wins big early, the deal is getting ripped up.
New College Football Top 25’s
Post-spring football Top 25’s are dropping daily around college football social media world, with this latest one from Joel Klatt.
And Klatt has four Big 12 teams in his Top 17: BYU at No. 14, Arizona State at No. 15, Kansas State at No. 16 and Iowa State at No. 17.
That looks about right for the Big 12, without a team in the Top 10 right now, and four teams stacked all on top of each other in the Top 20. That’s the Big 12. The thing is, it could be those four, but you can’t be shocked if it turns out to be Baylor, TCU, Utah and Kansas. Or pick any iteration of four teams in the league, and there you go. Arizona State last season is case in point. And while I don’t think it will be the norm for the team that is picked last to win the league, this is the Big 12 after all, and it will be the hardest league in America to predict, once again.
Let’s get it going!
Can the Big 12 Softball Tournament Have a Big Week?
It’s a new world for Big 12 softball, as they play their first conference tournament without the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns, two of the best programs in all of college softball.
It’s going to be interesting to see how this week plays out in Oklahoma City, which always does a fantastic job putting on the tournament. But it will be fascinating to see how the event is attended this week, along with what kind of exposure ESPN gives the tournament,
Related: Big 12 Softball Tournament Begins New Era Without OU and Texas—But Who’s Watching?
We know it will air exclusively on ESPN+, which is to be expected based on how much love ESPN will give the SEC, but we also know that Big 12 softball is a bit down this year, according to our latest softball bracketology.
As for you, Big 12 softball fans, the best thing you can do is show out and show up this week in OKC. It will go a long way to having a successful tournament week.
