Let's put this all in perspective. I remember when a young Tom Osborne took over the reins from Bob at the height of his success. He did well, but he was branded for YEARS as choking in the big game. If you think Stoops catches guff, at least Stoops got a NC under his belt. Osborne struggled for years against Switzer and then just as the Switzer monkey got off his back, enter the Florida teams. We look back now with the rose colored glasses that 3 eventual NC's provide, but Tom was on the hot seat for a long time. It took him over 20 years to win the big one--and most NU fans consider him one of the greatest college coaches of all time.
Enter Bo Pelini, not taking over a program at the height of its success, but instead taking it over after it has been run into the ground for the better part of a decade. Gone is the walk-on program and all of the other programs and traditions that gave NU its championship foundation. Gone is the identity of the program and all of the things that Osborne had built or inherited. Forgodsakes, when he took over last year, he had to teach the team how to TACKLE, because evidently the prior staff didn't.
Now we're in the beginning of year two of a rebuilding process like this program hasn't seen in decades, and a lot of "fans" are livid because Nebraska lost a close road game to one of the better teams in the country. Seriously people......just what do you expect this guy to do--turn water into wine? I don't give a rat if NU hasn't beaten a top 20 opponent in however many years. Those old losses aren't Pelini's fault, because he wasn't here losing those games. He's got a huge undertaking and is making good progress in the short time he's been at the helm. He's learning as a coach, just as Osborne did, making mistakes--just like Osborne did..... and his program will evolve with him as he evolves as a coach--just like Osborne's did. The way I see it, he's got another 20 years before you can throw him under the bus for not winning a NC. After all, that's what we gave Tom--and he inherited a program in a LOT better shape than Bo.