LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Bo Pelini's run of nine- and 10-win seasons would be cause for celebration at most schools. When it comes to the meeting the expectations for one of college football's most successful programs, though, he's yet to deliver.
Pelini goes into his sixth season at Nebraska still looking for his first conference championship. The difference this year is that he has a new boss in athletic director Shawn Eichorst and a fan base that has grown weary of embarrassing losses in the most important games.
So, yes, this is a big year for the Cornhuskers.
The schedule is set up for success, with eight games at home and the only worrisome road trip Nov. 9 against Michigan. The offense is loaded, starting with four-year quarterback Taylor Martinez. The defense is young but, according to Pelini, teeming with talent.
"I think we have a group of guys who are hungry," Pelini said. "I think they're out there to prove something."
How about Pelini?
"I'm proud of where we are as a program right now," he said. "I'm always hungry. I don't make any apologies for what we've done over my first five years."
Last year's 10-4 record made Nebraska one of only four programs to win at least nine games each of the past five seasons. But the Huskers still haven't won a conference title since 1999, and their most recent appearance in a BCS bowl game was in the 2001 season.
Eichorst, who succeeded Tom Osborne as athletic director in January, declined an interview request from The Associated Press to discuss the state of the program.
The argument for Pelini goes something like this.
He's 49-20 and only the third Nebraska coach to win at least nine games each of his first five seasons. Bob Devaney and Osborne are the other two, and they're in the College Football Hall of Fame.
And the 45-year-old Pelini undoubtedly has raised the profile of Nebraska after the program's steep drop-off in the four years under Bill Callahan.
He also appeared to have the Huskers on the cusp of a return to greatness in his second and third seasons, when they were narrowly beaten by Texas and Oklahoma in Big 12 title games.
But of Pelini's last eight losses, six have been by 14 points or more — including four by at least 25. None were worse than the 70-31 loss to Wisconsin in last season's Big Ten championship game.
"If he wants to get off the clock, he's going to have to eliminate the blowouts and he's going to have to get us into a top-10 finish and competing for a national championship," said longtime booster Mike Jacobson, a bank president from North Platte who in 2012 spent $2.5 million to lease a Memorial Stadium suite for 25 years.
The Huskers were Nos. 25, 24 and 20 in the last three season-ending polls, and they are far outside the national championship conversation this year.
One of the questions Pelini faces is whether he and his staff can recruit the players needed to return the program to national-championship caliber. The program has won all or part of five national titles, the last one coming in 1997.
The NFL first-round draft picks under Pelini, Ndamukong Suh and Prince Amukamara, were signed by Callahan. Other than Lavonte David, a second-rounder in 2012, no Pelini recruit has been taken higher than the fourth round.
This year only two Nebraska players were drafted, Rex Burkhead in the sixth round and Daimion Stafford in the seventh.
The Huskers, who must replace eight defensive starters, have brought in four-star recruits in linebackers Marcus Newby and Josh Banderas and in lineman Randy Gregory. A number of players who redshirted last season also should help a defense that was poor against the run and had difficulty creating a pass rush.
"They're going to be playing good football when we kick it off," Pelini told reporters. "You guys are the ones who are concerned about the defense, not me. We'll be just fine."
Jason Ankrah, the only returning starter on the defensive line, said he and his teammates believe in Pelini's system and want to make amends for lost opportunities the past couple years.
"We talk about how we were so close," Ankrah said. "People think you have to make a drastic change to overcome that hump, but really it's the little things like technique and knowing the game plan."
One thing for sure is that the people who are invested in the program financially and emotionally are not lowering their expectations.
"Frankly," Jacobson said, "if Nebraska doesn't make it to the Big Ten championship, that could be a real problem for Bo."
Replies
Agree Mike. I think Bo is a great coach and even a better Man. I think the D side of the ball has been lacking in athleticism and depth. That's been addressed. Now we are inexperienced but much faster, stronger and maybe even a deeper desire to get better, if what I've read is even close to true. There will undoubtedly be some frustrations due to inexperience but I'm looking forward to this season way more than I was last year. There are a lot of if's out there, but if the youngsters get it, if we cut down the turnovers and penalties, I think we could surprise alot of people out there.
The blowout losses are the result of recruiting failures, specifically on the defensive side of the ball. When guys like Peat and Rome fail to play to expectations (and we have yet to see Ankrah dominite), and eventually leave the program, you have to see that as an "opportunity loss" in the recruiting process....meaning time and effort could have been spent recruiting a different player who would have had more of an impact.
Now not everyone can predict the future, but it is still a setback nonetheless. Remember when we were so thin that we had an offensive lineman playing defensive tackle in the Northwestern loss two seasons ago? It seems like the staff is avoiding making the same mistake in the future by recruiting more depth on the defensive line, and hopefully we start to see the difference this season.
first thing you have to realize is Huskers are a 'good team' we havent been in the national title picture since 2001 and even that was through the back door. we havent been great since 1997 so maybe expectations should be tempered somewhat.
as far as Bo not winning a conference title? we have played in the CCG 3 of 5 years which is not too terrible, Bo is building this team with good recruiting and if fans and boosters show some patience we will get there, maybe not overnight but TO didn't do it overnight either, we just have to be realistic in expectations and keep supporting the team IMHO
Blow out losses? any time you artificially increase offensive production ie. up tempo, spread, its gonna come at a cost,especially when you combine it with a record setting 35 turn overs and put your defense in bad situations with no rest. the days of 8 possessions per team/game have become 16 possessions. this is a the new age of football and its very exciting but maybe not very appealing to the old school defense fan
the boosters like the one mentioned above dont have as much say in the workings of the program as they think they do