Nebraska can't really fire a coach with nine wins, can they?
The Cornhuskers rallied for a 37-34 win against Iowa on Friday, which clinched Bo Pelini's ninth straight season with at least nine wins. Eight is enough to fire a coach, but nine wins?
UPDATE: Pelini fired Sunday morning
It’s an all-too familiar narrative in Lincoln the last three seasons. Before Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst makes the final call, he might want to listen to some Dave Matthews first.
"Where are you going? Where do you go?"
Look for those answers first. Then make a final decision on Pelini. Don't rush.
WHERE ARE YOU GOING?
You can't call Pelini a bad coach. He entered the season as one of 20 Power 5 coaches with a winning percentage of .700 or better, and he’s still at .713 since taking over.
MORE: Week 14 Picks | Top 10 Rivalries | TCU the true king of Texas?
A big-game coach is another story. It’s those high-profile Big Ten meltdowns that resonate. A refresher course:
2011: No. 7 Wisconsin 48, No. 8 Nebraska 17
2012: No. 12 Ohio State 63, No. 21 Nebraska 38
2012: Wisconsin 70, No. 14 Nebraska 31
2014: No. 10 Michigan State 27, No. 19 Nebraska 22
2014: No. 22 Wisconsin 59, No. 11 Nebraska 24
Nebraska improved to 2-4 in the final three weeks of the regular season with the win against the Hawkeyes.
So it’s either give Pelini and fifth-and-final chance to break through and win a conference this program expected to factor into every year or try to avoid making the same mistake twice.
Nebraska’s been in this spot before. The Huskers fired Frank Solich in 2003 after a couple November slides. Solich has compiled a 72-56 record at Ohio University since, and he’ll probably have a statue erected outside Peden Stadium when he retires. Nebraska hired Bill Callahan, who compiled a 27-22 record before over four seasons before Pelini was brought in.
Don’t think for a second Eichorst doesn’t know that play-by-play scenario by heart. The numbers still say Pelini is a top 20 coach. He’ll catch on somewhere else, and it won’t be a MAC school.
WHERE DO YOU GO?
The second question needs answered before the first question. If not Pelini, then who?
Nebraska, like Michigan, is a traditional program in love with its own identity, and the coach has to do everything but take a DNA test before getting hired.
BENDER: Michigan should hire a 'Michigan Man'
If you want to go back to the past with an impossible-to-stop triple option, then Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson is the answer. Bad news? Johnson and Pelini each took over in their current jobs in 2008. Pelini (67-27) has a much better record than Johnson (56-34).
If the Huskers want to leap into modern times, then Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost is the pick. He led the Huskers to the national championship in 1997, and he is the assumed Nebraska coach of the future. He turns 40 in January and likely will be a hot head coach candidate after bowl season. If the Huskers don't push that button now, then they might find themselves in the same situation Michigan is in with Jim Harbaugh down the line.
If you want to meet in the middle, then Minnesota’s Jerry Kill is the guy. Kill meets old and new in the middle. Kill has done more with less with the Gophers, but there are health concerns off the field that can’t be ignored.
HAYES: Huskers should hire Kill as next coach
If Eichorst can’t see any of those working out, then it’s back to Pelini for one more year. But there have to be ground rules.
Let’s start with the cat. Cut that stuff out. Leave the social media to men’s basketball coach Tim Miles. He's better at it.
Go win your bowl game, go win at Miami next year and go win the Big Ten West Division with a schedule that doesn’t include Ohio State, Michigan or Penn State. Michigan State, Wisconsin and Iowa all come to Lincoln. There are several coaches that can look real good with that schedule.
Where are you going? Where do you go? Are you looking for answers?
We'll find out Pelini's future soon enough.
