This explanation only makes the firing worse. Nebraska is a public school so that is effectively taxpayer money. Paying Frost that much money as a solid for a long relationship is unacceptable.
It is possible that Nebraska would have won its next three games if Frost had not gotten canned when he did. Indiana and Rutgers suck, and the Syracuse game appears to have broken Purdue. The Administration paying $7.5 million to avoid the chance that Frost goes on a 3 game winning streak is a possibility, although honestly, a 7-5 or 6-6 season that would have resulted in Frost getting fired at the end anyway is a lot better than what could happen under an interim coach.
That $7.5 million could just be the beginning of what it will cost Nebraska if the wheels really come off. If Nebraska goes 2-10 or 1-11, it will cost a fortune to get a top coach to come to Lincoln, and a lot of coaches won’t take the job.
Taking over a mediocre program is one thing, stepping into a dumpster fire that could get gutted by the transfer portal is quite another.