From Scott Frost to Not Scott Frosts.

Nebraska needs a new football coach. The Huskers fired Mike Riley after a terrible 2017 and two losing seasons in three years. How they do in replacing him will determine how quickly the program gets back to Big Ten contention and maybe beyond.

Let’s group some names for the job. Bear in mind that when he fired Riley, athletic director Bill Moos said he preferred to hire someone with FBS head coaching experience. Moos added he had six candidates in mind, but didn’t name them.

The guy you’ll hear about most

Scott Frost, UCF head coach

Frost is a Nebraska legend. He was a quarterback for the Huskers in the ‘90s, operating a run-heavy option offense. In his senior year, 1997, Frost led the program to a national title share.

Now Frost runs a unique, smart offense at undefeated UCF, and it’s worked to the tune of a national-best 48 points per game. Frost is this year’s Tom Herman, the Group of 5 head coach whose recruiting savvy and on-field results make him one of the hottest candidates around for all the biggest jobs.

Huskers fans showed up at a UCF game in Philadelphia to woo him home with signs. New athletic director Bill Moos is on the record as a Frost fan.

One potential problem: Florida reportedly wants him too.

Probably being considered

Matt Campbell, Iowa State head coach

The former Toledo coach is in his second year in Ames. This year, he beat TCU and Oklahoma and briefly reached Iowa State’s highest ranking AP Poll since 2002. He has a big buyout at ISU, and he’d be more expensive to hire than most. Football Scoop reports Campbell is a candidate.

Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech head coach

Named as a candidate in the same report linked above. Fuente has a good job in Blacksburg and has done well there. He’s a Midwesterner, and Nebraska might be an attractive enough job to lure someone from another good Power 5 home.

Mike Leach, Washington State head coach

Moos, the current Nebraska AD, hired him at Washington State. Leach is a lot off the field, but he’s won pretty big the last couple of seasons in Pullman. His air raid offense might be able to work anywhere, and he’s got a close connection to the guy doing the hiring. He’s a reported candidate for Tennessee’s open job, too.

Triple-option guys, if Nebraska goes that route

The Huskers were an option team under Tom Osborne in the ‘80s and ‘90s, when they lived at the top of college football. They’ve considered going back to that well, we’ve reported.

Ken Niumatalolo, Navy head coach
Jeff Monken, Army head coach

Sources told SB Nation that if Nebraska approached Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson, he would recommend these former assistants of his.

Both run the flexbone option at their current programs. Monken has Army bowl-eligible for the second year in a row and looking at one of its best seasons ever. Niumatalolo has built a sustainable program in Annapolis, which was beating Army every year until the Black Knights struck back in 2016.

Some fans will dismiss the triple-option lifestyle out of hand, viewing it as a gimmick that’s meant for teams that don’t have the talent to win with more common schemes.

The option can make up a talent gap by forcing defenses into impossible decisions, but it’s not much different than the shotgun spread in that regard. And it’s not a gimmick. It can win, as it did for years at Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, and elsewhere.

Besides, Frost runs plenty of option himself.

Other good ideas

Craig Bohl, Wyoming head coach

Bohl’s name came up in connection with this job the last time it was open, in 2014. Bohl was Nebraska’s defensive coordinator once upon a time in the early 2000s, and that didn’t end well, but he later won three FCS national titles at North Dakota State. His staff developed Carson Wentz there, and he’s gotten Wyoming to bowl eligibility the last two seasons with a popular NFL prospect, Josh Allen, at quarterback.

Bryan Harsin, Boise State head coach

Harsin has done a good job at Boise State, which quietly put together a strong 2017 after a bad start. Only the state of Wyoming separates Harsin’s current state from Nebraska. He’s a good offensive schemer, too.

Neal Brown, Troy head coach

Brown is just 37, and he’s established a fun offense at Troy. He also beat LSU this year and led the Trojans to a program-record 10 wins last year.

Mike Norvell, Memphis head coach

The former Arizona State offensive coordinator has built an elite offense and all-around good team at Memphis, where he’s spent the last two seasons.

Brent Venables, Clemson defensive coordinator

Has Midwestern regional ties and is great at coordinating a defense. His son, Jake, is committed to Clemson in the class of 2018. But he hasn’t signed there just yet.

Coaches newly on the market who would be better than they might sound

Bret Bielema, former Arkansas and Wisconsin head coach

Arkansas fired Bielema after a really bad five years. But Bielema has been successful in the Big Ten West before, and he’ll be one of the better coaches on the market.

Kevin Sumlin, former Texas A&M head coach

Sumlin is a former Purdue player and assistant who’s also had Midwestern assistant jobs at Minnesota and Oklahoma. He won plenty of games in College Station, though not enough to satisfy expectations.

Sure, why not? Coach searches are fun

Les Miles, former LSU head coach

His son Ben is a Huskers fullback, so done deal.

Bob Stoops, former Oklahoma head coach

Just left another, better job because he’d had enough of it.

Lane Kiffin, FAU head coach

The Lincoln native isn’t going from Boca to Nebraska, much as I wish he would. He’s also probably not invited. But that FAU offense is terrific.

Frank Solich, Ohio (and former Nebraska) head coach

He’s still coaching! And winning eight games a year!