The Nebraska Cornhuskers will always be known for having one of the most dominant winning stretches in college football. The 1994 and 1995 seasons were unforgettable for Nebraska, as they posted an undefeated record for both seasons, including two National Championships, back-to-back. Nebraska has always been, and continues to be, all about tradition and football excellence.
After former head coach Frank Solich finished the 2003 season 9-3, and was fired, Bill Callahan was hired and started a downward spiral that almost ruined Nebraska’s many traditions.
Bill Callahan led the Huskers astray, posting a 5-7 record in 2007 and marked the first time Nebraska wouldn’t be in a bowl game in over 30 years, he was fired immediately after the season and replaced by Louisiana State University defensive coordinator Bo Pelini. Nebraska fans hoped that Pelini was the guy who would bring Nebraska football back to its glory days. Were they wrong?
Pelini has struggled under these high expectations, however; he is 48-19 in his career at Nebraska and 2-2 in bowl games. Nevertheless, Nebraska has not won a conference championship since 1999, and, after getting blown out by Wisconsin this year, if they don’t come out with a win over Georgia in the Capital One Bowl on January 1, Pelini may find himself on thin ice at Nebraska.
That fate may seem strange considering his record: Pelini has posted three 10-win seasons and two 9-win seasons, along with a victory in the Gator Bowl his first season and in the Holiday Bowl his next. Nebraska has, however, went 0-2 in bowl appearances since then.
Perhaps most schools would be happy with that level of performance, a winning record every year, a bowl appearance all five years, and three conference championship appearances. In Nebraska, however, that may not be enough. The Husker program has always been known as a school with a tradition of winning, with a history of having legendary coaches, and with a ranking constantly in the top ten.
In Pelini’s first season as head coach he finished with a 9-3 record and temporarily satisfied Nebraska fans that had watched the Huskers fall from the rankings into an ugly season the year before.
The 2009 season went more smoothly for Pelini. The Huskers posted a 10-2 regular season record, and climbed to as high as 5 in the AP poll, only to lose in the Big 12 Championship game. They went on to play in the Holiday Bowl and beat Arizona.
In 2010, Nebraska found themselves with an almost identical season to the prior one, with a record of 10-2 and a bid to play in the Holiday Bowl. This time however, playing Washington, a team that they had beat convincingly earlier that season. They lost to the Huskies in a game poorly played on both sides of the ball. The loss set back the team, but apparently not the reporters and coaches, who had Nebraska at 8 in the pre-season AP rankings.
When Nebraska joined the Big Ten, people predicted them to win the Big Ten and go to the Rose Bowl. Instead Nebraska finished with Pelini’s second nine-win season and went to the Capital One Bowl where they lost to a talented South Carolina team.
This season there was talk about another Big Ten Championship run, especially with Ohio State being ineligible. Nebraska seemed to be the best team to take the championship and then go onto the Rose Bowl. Nebraska had done every thing they needed to do to be put in a position to win the Big Ten, despite setbacks from losses by UCLA and Ohio State. They made it to the championship game only to get destroyed by Wisconsin, a team that they had already beaten this season.
Now, that the new Bowl picks have come out, it has been announced that Nebraska will play Georgia in the Capital One Bowl. Nebraska fans hope that Nebraska can rally from the embarrassing loss to Wisconsin to beat a very good SEC team.
No one wants or needs this win more, however, than Bo Pelini. Without a win in the bowl game, Pelini will almost certainly find himself on the hot seat. If the Huskers loose against Georgia, Pelini will be pressured into leading the Huskers to at least a Big Ten Championship next year or he may be looking for a new job.
