Bo our coach for the next 3 decades?

[Cy the Cyclone]

I say when Mangino comes across the field to shake hands with him after next year's mauling at the hands of Nebraska, he'll trip over his headphone cord, fall on Pelini and that will be that....half a season, tops.

[BeachBuffs]

Does anyone else think that some of you are getting way ahead of yourselves?

 

Trev Alberts chimes in:

 

By Trev Alberts

Special to ESPN.com

 

The ideal situation for the Nebraska football program would have been to fire Frank Solich and then "win the press conference" by having a replacement in there just a few days later. Everyone in the Husker family would have been ecstatic with that, but we all know things did not work out that way.

 

Once that scenario failed to play out the focus for athletic director Steve Pederson became getting the best coach out there, and all of the candidates who interviewed were good football coaches. That includes new coach Bill Callahan, whose NFL experience and college background bring some additional credibility to the Cornhusker program.

 

Bill Callahan won't face the same lockerroom obstacles at Nebraska as he did in Oakland.

Callahan is less than a year removed from taking the Oakland Raiders to the Super Bowl and knows what it takes to be successful at the highest level. And don't put too much stock in that 4-12 record this year in Oakland because there are far bigger issues at play in the NFL than someone outside the lockerroom can fathom.

 

And don't put much stock in the player unrest that helped get Callahan get fired. When the average salary on the team is higher than the coach's salary the leader loses a lot of his authority, and when he doesn't have the power to make personnel decisions the coach carries even less weight with the players. Neither will be an issue in Lincoln.

 

Taking all that into account, how ironic is it that Callahan could take the Raiders to the big game last season yet end up making more money at Nebraska? College football has changed a lot over the last few years, and when things like that happen it's easy to see why guys like Pete Carroll, Nick Saban and Al Groh have already come back to college.

 

But Callahan is not just a pro coach trying something new, he is a coach whose roots are in college. He coached at Illinois and Wisconsin, among others, during a college career that lasted from 1980-94. Callahan's boss at Wisconsin, Barry Alvarez, has raved about Callahan's ability to recruit, which is mandatory in this job if Callahan hopes to bring in the best players outside the state.

 

The reality is that every high school kid dreams of playing in the NFL one day whether he has a realistic shot or not, and Callahan can look every recruit in the eye and tell him he knows what it takes to be a success at the next level. He has coached players like Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Rich Gannon and knows how they got to the top of the heap.

 

Of course, there are plenty of other things in the larger picture that helped Callahan land the job. Near the top of the list is his understanding of the passing game and the ability to take the Nebraska offense into the 21st century, which will be another recruiting advantage. The Cornhuskers were never going to get the kind of athletes they needed -- especially at quarterback -- to compete in today's game running an offense that does not let the skill players shine.

 

And don't discount the fact that Callahan wanted this job and this challenge. He has been called a traditionalist and that's a good thing, because anyone who takes over this program must have a grasp of the Nebraska tradition. Interim coach Bo Pelini certainly did a terrific job with the defense over the course of the season, but if there was one overriding complaint about him it was that he did not understand the lore of Nebraska football.

 

Nebraska fans, administrators, coaches and players take everything about their program very seriously, and because of Callahan's experience under Alvarez in Madison he can relate to that kind of feeling about a football team.

 

Some in the Nebraska family might say "Well, they just took the first guy who would say yes." I ask those people, aren't you glad it was Bill Callahan, someone who has been to the top of the NFL and worked with some of the best coaches at the college level? Remember, Bob Stoops was not the first choice at Oklahoma and Jim Tressel was not at the top of Ohio State's list when those jobs came open.

 

Does Callahan face have challenges? Of course. With his pedigree there is enough credibility to face them head on, but he little time to get comfortable. This year's recruiting class is not yet lost and there are still great players to be had, so it will be interesting to see what kind of impact his presence will have. The opportunity to walk into the home of the best available high school quarterback and tell him you have a spot for him in the West Coast offense -- with no competition -- is a huge one and Callahan needs to take immediate advantage.

 

Nebraska fans are historically impatient and do not settle for mediocrity, and the connection between football and the identity of the entire state is what makes them special. They are also the most knowledgeable fans in college football and they know the difference between good losses and bad. The Husker fans understand what effort and preparation mean and can swallow a two or three-point loss if they know their team played the best game possible.

 

What they cannot abide is a 38-7 home loss to Kansas State in which the team is manhandled. Do those fans expect Callahan him to win the national championship in the coming year? Probably not, but there will be high expectations for the ensuing seasons.

 

One of the issues that hindered the search is that the university did not do a very good job of articulating why Frank Solich was fired in the first place. It wasn't because he won "only" nine games. There were other issues within the program that helped Steve Peterson make that decision, and Pederson was obviously able to convince Callahan that Solich's dismissal was not about some magic number of wins he failed to reach.

 

Steve Pederson will realize in the end that he could have done some things differently. Bill Callahan won't help him win the press conference at this late date but, all things considered, getting a coach one year removed from the biggest game in football is a pretty good deal.

 

Trev Alberts is a college football analyst for ESPN and a regular contributor to ESPN.com during the season

 

You have been down this road before, optimism is great but don't get too carried away with talk of coaching for 30+ years when you haven't even had him in spring practice yet.

[harp]

It very well could be. Dude loves Nebraska and it's 100 percent chance he's going to win and win big. Barring a scandal (God forbid), I very well may go into old man-hood watching Pelini guide the 'Skers. And boy am I excited.

While it is possible, I don't think it's probable. Not in today's landscape of college football. The days of Osborne, JoePa, Bowden, Bear, et al., are over. Fans are too impatient, there are too many outlets for them to voice their displeasure, and parity no longer allows the building of real dynasties.

 

 

i agree, i always hear the same thing from lsu fans "we want a jo pa" but having a jo pa (very good-better than average for 10-15 yrears) has that "ok, he blows now... and we can't get rid of him factor", so we're "stuck with suck" till he decides to retire.

 

unfortunatly i think this may be the situation lsu just backed itself into with les miles. he burned the michigan bridge... and thats the only place i can see him him going. and i definitly can't see him going to the nfl...

 

the jo pa/bowden thing is a double edged sword. my philosophy has always been "if we contend, i don't care if we have a new coach every year, provided we contend." and what more can you realistically expect?

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

I say when Mangino comes across the field to shake hands with him after next year's mauling at the hands of Nebraska, he'll trip over his headphone cord, fall on Pelini and that will be that....half a season, tops.

[np_husker]

Nebraska is one of the best college jobs in the country, so the only college I can see him leaving for is Ohio State.

 

Hopefully he never gets NFL fever and wants to return to the league.

[huskerjack23]

he'll get calls like Bob Stoops gets calls if he can turn us around like Stoops did OU.

[billdozer15]

It very well could be. Dude loves Nebraska and it's 100 percent chance he's going to win and win big. Barring a scandal (God forbid), I very well may go into old man-hood watching Pelini guide the 'Skers. And boy am I excited.

 

Bo said at the press conference he'd like the Nebraska HC job to be his last job. Obviously that won't happen but it was cool of him to say that. BO BIG RED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And Callahan said something similar

 

I don't envision Pelini being at Nebraska for more than 10 years. I think if he's successful other schools will come calling or maybe even the NFL. I would like to see him stay for all for eternity just so Nebraska doesn't become a coaching carousel but I just don't see that happening.

 

I dont forsee a move to another school if he is doing well at NU. It would be a laterall move. I can see a move to the NFL, however he doesn't seem to have the NFL business mentality. To mee Pelini seems to be a college football coach. I am not saying this will be his last stop because that is just not likely, but i dont see him going to another school if he is doing well here. I think the only way Pelini leaves is if he gets pushed out or he feels like taking a sniff at the NFL.

[clone]

It very well could be. Dude loves Nebraska and it's 100 percent chance he's going to win and win big. Barring a scandal (God forbid), I very well may go into old man-hood watching Pelini guide the 'Skers. And boy am I excited.

 

 

The days of coaches staying ANYWHERE for even a single decade are gone.

 

 

 

 

 

but- opinions vary.

[ChicoHusker]

I think Bo will stay longer than people think. My reasoning is mostly based on his relationship with Bob Stoops and having spent time in that organization. Bo was able to see first hand the type of success and longevity a coach can have at a University that supports him. Bo is also a big family man and the family atmosphere at Nebraska is a large pull for him.

[Spartness]

He doesn't seem too wild about going back to the NFL, but that could change some day. As far as schools go, the only one I can see him interested in going to is Ohio State, where he went to school and played DB. That of course depending on if he becomes a huge success here. But as we fond out, Les Miles has no interest in going back to Michigan. And I don't see Bob Stoops ever wanting to coach at Iowa instead of OU. With parity, a great program can still average 9-11 victories a year in the regular season, like OU has. But you can't expect to have three unbeaten seasons in four years.

[Dan_F_30]

I think Bo will stay longer than people think. My reasoning is mostly based on his relationship with Bob Stoops and having spent time in that organization. Bo was able to see first hand the type of success and longevity a coach can have at a University that supports him. Bo is also a big family man and the family atmosphere at Nebraska is a large pull for him.

Don't underestimate the power of Nebraska fans to turn on a coach in an instant something doesn't go right. I anticipate IBR to make a firebopelini.com website soon after something goes bad and then say to all of us,"I told you so!".

[Spiderman]

It very well could be. Dude loves Nebraska and it's 100 percent chance he's going to win and win big. Barring a scandal (God forbid), I very well may go into old man-hood watching Pelini guide the 'Skers. And boy am I excited.

 

 

 

I hope so. That will likely mean a few more championships.

[T_O_Bull]

I don't think I want Pelini coaching the Huskers when he's 70. Let's just see how he's doing when he's 45 first.

LOL IF HES WINNING AT 70 NO PROBLEM BUT ILL DRAW A LINE AT 80

 

I was just thinking that I really don't care if he's coaching the huskers when he's 70. If I'm still alive then I probably won't even know what Husker football is.

 

 

I'll keep on livin' if you will Wally. We can park our wheelchairs close to the Cheerleaders and let some cute freshman co-ed bring us Bloody Marys.

 

>>>T_O_B

 

[clone]

I think Bo will stay longer than people think.

 

 

He'll stay longer than some people think.

 

He'll leave sooner than some people think.

 

All depends on what people think.

 

 

 

NU history shows-- If he doesn't win lots of games every year -- he'll be gone.

 

 

 

But... opinions vary.

[Wally]

I don't think I want Pelini coaching the Huskers when he's 70. Let's just see how he's doing when he's 45 first.

LOL IF HES WINNING AT 70 NO PROBLEM BUT ILL DRAW A LINE AT 80

 

I was just thinking that I really don't care if he's coaching the huskers when he's 70. If I'm still alive then I probably won't even know what Husker football is.

 

 

I'll keep on livin' if you will Wally. We can park our wheelchairs close to the Cheerleaders and let some cute freshman co-ed bring us Bloody Marys.

 

>>>T_O_B

 

 

T_O_B, If you'll get me one of them there Hover Rounds I'll stick it out.