Mike Riley Thinks He's 'Right Person' for Nebraska Amid Firing Rumors

Nebraska Cornhuskers head football coach Mike Riley lobbied to keep his job Friday following a 56-14 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes. 

After the game, Riley expressed his belief that he is still the best option for Nebraska despite a disappointing 4-8 season, according to ESPN.com's Mitch Sherman: "When I go to bed tonight, I'll be hoping for that, because I would love to do this. I truly believe I'm exactly the right person to do this. The football parts, I've been doing it so long, we know how to fix, and we also are doing a good job recruiting."

On Monday, Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports wrote that Riley is "destined" to get fired, with Central Florida's Scott Frost looking like a potential option to replace him.

Per Sherman, Riley said he met with Nebraska athletic director Bill Moos and received indication if his job was safe or in danger.

Nebraska will not play in a bowl game for the first time since 2007, and its 4-8 mark is its worst record since going 3-6-1 in 1961.

In three seasons under Riley, the Cornhuskers have gone just 19-19.

They went 6-7 during his first season before improving to 9-4 in 2016, and Riley said he believes a similar improvement could occur in 2018 if he remains at the helm: "I'm not going to argue my case here, but I think we could do the same thing next year. I think this team will do that. I just feel that way. It's a great group. They will indeed go back to work."

Prior to his hiring at Nebraska, Riley spent 14 years as the head coach at Oregon State, posting a 112-98 record with eight bowl appearances.

While Frost's status as a former Nebraska QB would make him an ideal replacement should Riley get fired, ESPN's Mark Schlabach and Edward Aschoff reported Friday that Florida is scheduled to meet with Frost about its vacancy.

Regardless of who takes over for Riley in the event of his firing, improving Nebraska's defense will likely be the No. 1 priority, as it allowed 36.4 points per game this season, including at least 54 points in each of its last three games.