If you watch closely, you can detect a brief pause. Maybe a second, second and a half, in between his second and third sentences. Nebraska head coach Scott Frost clearly considers the gravity of what he's about to say, then plows forward anyway.
"We want to play a Big Ten schedule. I hope that's what happens," Frost said Monday. "Our university is committed to playing no matter what that looks like and how that looks. We want to play no matter who it is or where it is, so we'll see how all those chips fall. We certainly hope it's in the Big Ten. If it isn't, I think we're prepared to look for other options."
Frost joined a chorus of Big Ten coaches pleading, demanding and lobbying to keep the season intact as the conference's presidents reportedly prepare for a final up-or-down vote later this evening.
Now, the obvious question: Can they do that? Highly doubtful. The most obvious roadblock, outside of the legal ones, is that if the Big Ten shuts down, by the end of the week there may be no one left for Frost's Huskers to play. Camp Dodge and Fort Omaha Balloon School aren't picking up the phone these days.
As for the greater question: Will any of this work? Is it possible for external voices -- from coaches and players, all the way to governors and the President -- change the Big Ten president's minds at this point? In floating out their plans early, did the Big Ten's plan to influence others into joining them end up backfiring into a fire hose of public pressure pointed directly at their own face? Will all this be remembered as a historic 11th hour stand, or a last, angry punch at the door before it closes for good?
We should find out within hours.
In the meantime, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.