Bo Pelini fired at Nebraska; Scott Frost early candidate

Ken Bradley

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Bo Pelini fired at Nebraska; Scott Frost early candidate image

For Bo Pelini, being good just wasn't going to cut it anymore.

On Sunday morning, Nebraska announced that AD Shawn Eichorst had fired Pelini after seven seasons in Lincoln.

"This is what's best for the university," Eichorst said. He also said the school wanted to meet expectations that included competing for conference and national titles. Eichorst refused to speculate who might replace Pelini. "We will find a great coach to lead our storied program," he said.

MORE: 10 candidates at Nebraska | Top 10 all-time Cornhuskers | Is Michigan's Brady Hoke next?

Associate head coach Barney Cotton will coach the team as it prepares for its bowl game, according to the Omaha World Herald.

Eichorst said he met with Pelini for about 20 minutes Sunday, telling Pelini the university was "going in a different direction." Their discussion, he said, was professional and cordial.

The decision to fire Pelini was made Saturday night, Eichorst said.

Pelini is in line to receive a hefty payout, which Eichorst confirmed in his news conference.

Pelini's tenure was marked by one glaring stat: The Cornhuskers have lost four games in every season, except this one. Nebraska is 9-3 this season and will play in a bowl game. Pelini's previous seasons were: 9-4, 10-4, 9-4, 10-4, 10-4, 9-4.

MORE: @FauxPelini reaction | Nebraska players peeved | Coaches poll: 'Huskers No. 22

For one of college football's iconic programs, Nebraska is looking to return to the elite and while 62-27 under Pelini certainly is solid, it's not elite.

Wins and losses weren't the only factor in Pelini's firings, but Eichorst refused to divulge reasons for his decision. "We just were good enough in the games that mattered against quality opponents," Eichorst said. Nebraska gave Pelini ample time, he said, but now the program is headed in a different direction.

Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost, a former Nebraska quarterback, is expected to be among the top candidates. He's been at Oregon since 2009 and started as receivers coach. He's been the OC/quarterbacks coach the past two seasons for one of the nation's most-prolific offenses led by Heisman candidate Marcus Mariota.

A two-year starter at Nebraska at quarterback (1996-97), Frost was 24-2. He ran for more than 1,000 yards and passed for more than 1,000 in 1997.

"Coach Pelini served our university admirably for seven years and led our football program's transition to the Big Ten Conference," Eichorst said in a prepared statement. "We wish Coach Pelini and his wonderful family all the best and thank him for his dedicated service to the university."

Telling numbers were making the rounds Sunday in the wake of Pelini's firing. His teams were 8-17 against ranked opponents and 38-17 in conference play. More to the point, Pelini teams padded their records against teams without winning records. They were 26-25 against teams that finished with winning records, 40-2 against teams that didn't.

Another fact of note: 11 years ago, Nebraska fired coach Frank Solich after a 9-3 season, according to the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star.

Staff members had expected to make recruiting trips this week, the Journal Star reported. Instead, they were on hand with players at the university's news conference. They also spent time talking to recruits and players who committed to Nebraska. Some of those players were left to ponder whether they would play for the Cornhuskers after all.

Players, the Journal Star reported, were told of the changes via email. Staff members were called about 9 a.m. local time and attended a meeting before the news conference.

As Eichorst was speaking Sunday, a poll on the Journal Star website said a majority of respondents believe Pelini should not have been fired. Only 28 percent said it was time for Pelini to go.

Ken Bradley