Early expectations for this year.

[The King]

Nobody responded to my question of who we could bring in to replace Bo and guarantee said new coach would be better...I'm absolutely "shocked."

 

Saban.

Possibly Chip Kelly.

 

Realistically? Very, very few people come to mind. MAYBE MAYBE MAYBE Kirby Smart.

[knapplc]

Nobody responded to my question of who we could bring in to replace Bo and guarantee said new coach would be better...I'm absolutely "shocked."

 

Saban.

Possibly Chip Kelly.

 

Realistically? Very, very few people come to mind. MAYBE MAYBE MAYBE Kirby Smart.

 

And of course that's what 'SkersRule is getting at - no better coach (however you want to define better) is going to come to Nebraska to replace a winning coach who was fired. If our standards are ONLY conference championships and BCS games, who's going to take that job?

 

In the coaching fraternity, Bo is considered to be doing an excellent job. We fire that guy and no "name" coach is coming here again, not for a long, long time.

[The Dude]

Nobody responded to my question of who we could bring in to replace Bo and guarantee said new coach would be better...I'm absolutely "shocked."

It baffles me that people want to talk about firing a guy without considering the consequences. Sometimes people just want to see heads roll. I guess it come with the territory when you have such an emotional attachment to a sports team. Luckily we have TO, who's a little more level headed than your average HuskerBoard member.

[Guy Chamberlin]

Wait. You want a list of coaches who you guarantee would be "better"?

 

There's never a list like that.

 

But winning coaches are replaced all the time in the world of sports when something in the overall chemistry just isn't working. While there are never guarantees, it often works out to the benefit of both parties. Ya never know.

 

Again, I'm not talking about firing Bo Pelini. Yet. When I say he knows he's on notice, I'm saying he's accutely aware of fan disatisfaction, based on expectations Pelini has willingly stoked himself. He is also well aware that his personality has been called into question, from nationally televised sideline rants to his chippy attitude with reporters to his brother banging the wife of a wealthy alum (unfair as that might be). The "fiery Bo Pelini" worked well for a couple years in terms of Pelini's coaching reputation, but less so as his teams have melted down in big games. If you don't think all this weighs on Tom Osborne's ledger, you don't know Tom Osborne.

 

And that's why I gave Bo a two season window. Two seasons is a long time. Two seasons ago we ended with a smothering defense and well-designed offensive takedown of Arizona. We were a team on the rise. I doubt many folks on here would have predicted the way the next two seasons played out, but reasonable fans can agree that the status quo isn't what we have in mind for Husker football. If you look up in two years and it hasn't changed, or possibly gotten worse, do you reject the possibility of a coaching change because you're afraid no one will want the million dollar job at one of the most storied football programs in the country?

 

You're trying to think of top tier coaching talent, the proven head coaches every program would love. But that doesn't describe the young Tom Osborne, Frank Solich or Bo Pelini. It only describes Super Bowl coach and master recruiter Bill Callahan.

 

Again, not Pelini bashing. I honestly expect improved performance this season, even if it doesn't show up on the win column.

 

But Bo needs that improved performance. Because he is on notice. As it should be.

 

 

p.s.: Nebraska will never fire Bo Pelini. But they might push him. Bo Pelini will be allowed to make the call himself, at least for the cameras.

[knapplc]

I'll bite, Guy. So we fire Bo for never getting over the nine-win season plateau. We don't hire a "better" coach because, as you state, no coach is guaranteed to be "better." We get New Coach in, let him run the show for seven years, and he doesn't break the Bo Plateau. Or maybe he has a few good seasons and three bad seasons, including no bowl game once or twice. So we fire New Coach and hire New, New Coach.

 

New, New Coach does the same thing - doesn't consistently win, has the same learning curve as Bo, etc. So we fire him after five-seven years. Lather, rinse, repeat.

 

How many times do you see this cycle happening before NO COACH worth half a crap wants to come to Nebraska? Realistically, honestly, how many times can you fire coaches like Bo or Frank and get another coach who's even half competent to come here?

 

Follow-up question: How much money are you willing to pay to get said coach(es) to come here? We're already paying Bo a salary in the top 25 of D1 coaches. Fire him and to get an even remotely competent guy you'll have to pay more. Fire him and the price goes up again.

 

It's just not practical from any realistic sense to fire coaches with Bo's record.

[Saunders]

I'll bite, Guy. So we fire Bo for never getting over the nine-win season plateau. We don't hire a "better" coach because, as you state, no coach is guaranteed to be "better." We get New Coach in, let him run the show for seven years, and he doesn't break the Bo Plateau. Or maybe he has a few good seasons and three bad seasons, including no bowl game once or twice. So we fire New Coach and hire New, New Coach.

 

New, New Coach does the same thing - doesn't consistently win, has the same learning curve as Bo, etc. So we fire him after five-seven years. Lather, rinse, repeat.

 

How many times do you see this cycle happening before NO COACH worth half a crap wants to come to Nebraska? Realistically, honestly, how many times can you fire coaches like Bo or Frank and get another coach who's even half competent to come here?

 

Follow-up question: How much money are you willing to pay to get said coach(es) to come here? We're already paying Bo a salary in the top 25 of D1 coaches. Fire him and to get an even remotely competent guy you'll have to pay more. Fire him and the price goes up again.

 

It's just not practical from any realistic sense to fire coaches with Bo's record.

The fans (barely) gave Tom Osborne 6 years to beat the only Big 8 team with equal/better talent (Oklahoma). They also gave him 9 years to win the conference outright.

 

So...... barring a disaster season, I think it's only fair we do the same with Bo.

[Guy Chamberlin]

If you fire a coach who consistently brings in 9 wins a season, you're a fool.

 

If you fire a coach who wins 9 games a season but consistently loses to your conference rivals, you're not a fool but you might be impatient. It's a quality you will share with every other legendary college football program.

 

If in losing those big games you're frustrated that the team often appears ill-prepared and out-coached, you're neither a fool or impatient. You just prefer better football.

 

If there are behind-the-scenes issues and/or the coach is in any way reflecting poory on the larger institution, it goes beyond wins and losses (See Solich, Frank and Pelini, Carl).

 

If all these factors are still in play after 6 seasons, that's a decently long time to be washing your hair. No one will accuse you of lather, rinse and repeat.

 

And I'm not convinced the coaching community holds Pelini in such high regard. I'm sure there are those who can't stand him. Just as I'm certain that had Bo Pelini been coaching for another Big 12 or Big 10 team, he'd be the coach Husker fans would most love to humiliate, hoping to see him frothing on the sidelines and going off on his players. That alone has put a target on this Husker team that may not serve us. The coaching community understands the bigger picture. Some coaches will not want to come into our pressure cooker, but the guys who can handle pressure will. Bo Pelini was one of those guys. There will be others. Money won't be the issue.

 

And none of this will happen if Bo Pelini shows SOME kind of improvement in the next couple seasons.

 

That shouldn't be so hard to get your head around.

[knapplc]

If all these factors are still in play after 6 seasons, that's a decently long time to be washing your hair. No one will accuse you of lather, rinse and repeat.

 

I think you're wildly underestimating how coaches view schools like this. The fact that pretty much nobody does this is a good indicator of how unsuccessful it would be.

 

And I'm not convinced the coaching community holds Pelini in such high regard. I'm sure there are those who can't stand him. Just as I'm certain that had Bo Pelini been coaching for another Big 12 or Big 10 team, he'd be the coach Husker fans would most love to humiliate, hoping to see him frothing on the sidelines and going off on his players. That alone has put a target on this Husker team that may not serve us. The coaching community understands the bigger picture. Some coaches will not want to come into our pressure cooker, but the guys who can handle pressure will. Bo Pelini was one of those guys. There will be others. Money won't be the issue.

It's not a question of whether or not other coaches (or fans) like Bo Pelini. That's not what we're discussing here. We're discussing how other coaches would view the Head Coach job at Nebraska if Pelini were fired for winning no less than nine games every year in his first six seasons while not winning a conference championship.

 

Each potential coach isn't going to approach the job with their personal like/dislike of Pelini in mind, they'll approach it with, "If they fired Pelini for consistently winning nine or more games, but failing to win the Conference or a BCS game, what are they going to do to me if I do the same?" They are going to factor in Frank's termination after a 9-3 season, even though that happened under different ADs, different circumstances. We're not talking about Pelini anymore when we're discussing hiring new coaches, at least not directly. We're talking about how those coaches will view a school who fires winning coaches. And there will NOT be others, not without boatloads of cash.

 

Money will most definitely be an issue.

 

See: The Firing of Frank Solich, circa 2003, and ensuing coaching search.

 

And none of this will happen if Bo Pelini shows SOME kind of improvement in the next couple seasons.

Pelini has shown improvement over his predecessor, and competed for two conference championships in his first four seasons. He would have to seriously fall off the cliff for his compatriots in the coaching ranks to "understand" why he had to be fired if he continues to win nine games.

 

That shouldn't be so hard to get your head around.

Don't get me wrong. I don't misunderstand this position. I'm trying to show that it's unrealistic.

[carlfense]

Serious question:

 

Is anyone actually arguing that Bo should be fired? I see several posts from people accusing others of wanting Bo to be fired.

[knapplc]

I don't think anyone is advocating firing Bo. It's more of a "what if" conversation. At least, that's how I read it.

[carlfense]

I don't think anyone is advocating firing Bo. It's more of a "what if" conversation. At least, that's how I read it.

Oh. Well, I don't think that Bo should be fired either now or in the near future.

 

It seemed like a one-sided argument to me. People were horrified that others wanted Bo fired . . . when no one actually said that that they wanted Bo fired. Sort of a strange circle the wagons type of scenario.

[bshirt]

If you fire a coach who consistently brings in 9 wins a season, you're a fool.

 

If you fire a coach who wins 9 games a season but consistently loses to your conference rivals, you're not a fool but you might be impatient. It's a quality you will share with every other legendary college football program.

 

If in losing those big games you're frustrated that the team often appears ill-prepared and out-coached, you're neither a fool or impatient. You just prefer better football.

 

If there are behind-the-scenes issues and/or the coach is in any way reflecting poory on the larger institution, it goes beyond wins and losses (See Solich, Frank and Pelini, Carl).

 

If all these factors are still in play after 6 seasons, that's a decently long time to be washing your hair. No one will accuse you of lather, rinse and repeat.

 

And I'm not convinced the coaching community holds Pelini in such high regard. I'm sure there are those who can't stand him. Just as I'm certain that had Bo Pelini been coaching for another Big 12 or Big 10 team, he'd be the coach Husker fans would most love to humiliate, hoping to see him frothing on the sidelines and going off on his players. That alone has put a target on this Husker team that may not serve us. The coaching community understands the bigger picture. Some coaches will not want to come into our pressure cooker, but the guys who can handle pressure will. Bo Pelini was one of those guys. There will be others. Money won't be the issue.

 

And none of this will happen if Bo Pelini shows SOME kind of improvement in the next couple seasons.

 

That shouldn't be so hard to get your head around.

 

 

Well, less than a decade ago NU fired a HC who coached here six years and accomplished.....

 

1. 75% win pct.

 

2. final ranked in the top 20 six times

 

3. final ranked in the top 10 three times

 

4. twice the BigXII COY

 

5. won a conference championship

 

6. Played for the national championship

 

I don't see how that translates into "consistently losing to your conference rivals" at all. It was just a very, very stupid decision by an ego crazed AD. That AD was fired and ran out of town. He'll never return.

 

We all know what a supreme disaster the Clownahan era was. Bo takes over and three years in the BigXII beats Missouri, KSU, Colorado, Oklahoma & Oklahoma St. With the lone exception of Texas (& Beebe's hack refs), he most certainly wasn't "consistently losing to his conference rivals".

 

In just one year in the Big10 where NU arguably had the toughest conference schedule he's already beat Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State & Penn State. Assuming he will "consistently lose to conference rivals" is based on nothing that I can see.

 

It seems you're working awfully hard to justify yet another mindless and disastrous decision. TO isn't Pedeyshine. Despite your claims, I very seriously doubt TO is considering firing Bo "or" has him on a hot seat. It took TO himself nine years to win a conference championship in arguably a much less tougher conference.

 

Considering that was with TO taking over a sexy Maserati that won the national championship twice in Devaney's last three years while Bo took over a wrecked, used Pinto.......well, once again TO is not stupid.

[bshirt]

I don't think anyone is advocating firing Bo. It's more of a "what if" conversation. At least, that's how I read it.

Oh. Well, I don't think that Bo should be fired either now or in the near future.

 

It seemed like a one-sided argument to me. People were horrified that others wanted Bo fired . . . when no one actually said that that they wanted Bo fired. Sort of a strange circle the wagons type of scenario.

 

 

Well duh......just maybe if you actually read some of the posts on this thread you might get another idea. Some are claiming he's "already" on the hot seat. Other's state if he doesn't win a conference championship soon he needs to be re-evaluated. Other's claim nine wins a years doesn't hack it. Etc. etc.

[Ringer02]

If you fire a coach who consistently brings in 9 wins a season, you're a fool.

 

If you fire a coach who wins 9 games a season but consistently loses to your conference rivals, you're not a fool but you might be impatient. It's a quality you will share with every other legendary college football program.

 

If in losing those big games you're frustrated that the team often appears ill-prepared and out-coached, you're neither a fool or impatient. You just prefer better football.

 

If there are behind-the-scenes issues and/or the coach is in any way reflecting poory on the larger institution, it goes beyond wins and losses (See Solich, Frank and Pelini, Carl).

 

If all these factors are still in play after 6 seasons, that's a decently long time to be washing your hair. No one will accuse you of lather, rinse and repeat.

 

And I'm not convinced the coaching community holds Pelini in such high regard. I'm sure there are those who can't stand him. Just as I'm certain that had Bo Pelini been coaching for another Big 12 or Big 10 team, he'd be the coach Husker fans would most love to humiliate, hoping to see him frothing on the sidelines and going off on his players. That alone has put a target on this Husker team that may not serve us. The coaching community understands the bigger picture. Some coaches will not want to come into our pressure cooker, but the guys who can handle pressure will. Bo Pelini was one of those guys. There will be others. Money won't be the issue.

 

And none of this will happen if Bo Pelini shows SOME kind of improvement in the next couple seasons.

 

That shouldn't be so hard to get your head around.

 

 

Well, less than a decade ago NU fired a HC who coached here six years and accomplished.....

 

1. 75% win pct.

 

2. final ranked in the top 20 six times

 

3. final ranked in the top 10 three times

 

4. twice the BigXII COY

 

5. won a conference championship

 

6. Played for the national championship

 

I don't see how that translates into "consistently losing to your conference rivals" at all. It was just a very, very stupid decision by an ego crazed AD. That AD was fired and ran out of town. He'll never return.

 

We all know what a supreme disaster the Clownahan era was. Bo takes over and three years in the BigXII beats Missouri, KSU, Colorado, Oklahoma & Oklahoma St. With the lone exception of Texas (& Beebe's hack refs), he most certainly wasn't "consistently losing to his conference rivals".

 

In just one year in the Big10 where NU arguably had the toughest conference schedule he's already beat Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State & Penn State. Assuming he will "consistently lose to conference rivals" is based on nothing that I can see.

 

It seems you're working awfully hard to justify yet another mindless and disastrous decision. TO isn't Pedeyshine. Despite your claims, I very seriously doubt TO is considering firing Bo "or" has him on a hot seat. It took TO himself nine years to win a conference championship in arguably a much less tougher conference.

 

Considering that was with TO taking over a sexy Maserati that won the national championship twice in Devaney's last three years while Bo took over a wrecked, used Pinto.......well, once again TO is not stupid.

 

This is a great point, but the bigger reason why people are becoming impatient has less to do with Pelini going four years without winning a conference and more to do with the program going 13 years without a championship, which isn't entirely Pelini's fault.

[Guy Chamberlin]

I said that I don't envision the University ever firing Bo, but that doesn't mean Bo wouldn't go elsewhere based on the shared belief that he wasn't working out at Nebraska. Shawn Watson found himself in a similar position and he had Tom Osborne's endorsement, too. Guess Watson wasn't allowed to take credit for any of those 9 win seasons.

 

I also contend that wanting a little more out of this team and this coach doesn't equate entitlement or call for a firing. But I do think four seasons offers a good look at a coach, and the honeymoon is pretty much over. This is a big season for Bo. And if it goes the slightest bit south, the season after that will be even bigger. I'd rather Bo believe he's on the hot seat, than thinking he couldn't possibly be fired. He needs to step up as a head coach.

 

On the plus side, I'm pretty sure he knows this and that's why I expect a more competitive team this season.