since he has averaged 5 losses a year, callahan hasn't turned anything around yet.
I guess you're perception of turning things around and the program picking up momentum don't match.
The Big 12 isn't quite as inept as the Big 8 was back then, either, so whats the point. Osborne had teams that would go 9-3, lose to OU, the good team they played in nonconference and then the bowl game. After he beat OU in 78, things turned around for him. Similar to what I am suggesting. Once Callahan gets that first big win, it will come easier after that. If it doesn't happen in the next season, then perhaps it might not, who knows.
i'm not saying that he a good coach or a bad coach but with the exception of nebraska fans and callahan's "old friends" the national perception of him is that he lacks coaching ability. people look at how he took the raiders from a superbowl to the worst team in the league, they look at how we have struggled since he has been here, and they question his calls in games like ou, usc, and auburn.