Nebraska Football: Pelini's Raise Proves Cornhuskers Falling off

Well, it happened again folks. Bo Pelini gets his raise after another four-loss season in Lincoln, Nebraska. The same thing happened around the same time a year ago for the leader of the Huskers. As my colleague Adam Jacobi points out over at the Big Ten Blog, this is relatively standard practice. It is commonplace to extend coaches in order portray a sense of stability for recruiting purposes.

The issue here is not the sum of the raise or the extra season. In the grand scheme of things $100,000 and a year really don't make much of a difference. They're a drop in the proverbial bucket where big money athletics are concerned. This is more window dressing and reassurance than an actual, tangible pay bump.

However, the problem is the fact that Nebraska is giving Bo Pelini a pat on the back. They are reassuring him. They are making sure he feels their love and knows they are 100 percent behind him when it comes to everything he is doing.

Behind him for what? To go 9-4 again? To not win the conference again? To get mashed out by Michigan again? To get stomped out by Wisconsin again? To lose their third bowl game in a row?

No, it is not about the actual money or the extension itself. It is about the pat on the back. The idea that instead of Bo Pelini feeling more of the heat, he's getting an :attaboy" from the superiors. What will it take before folks call for more from Pelini? A Mark Richt 2010 type season?

The sky most certainly is not falling in Lincoln, but the ceiling sure has lowered a bit. Perhaps Terry Joseph has become the answer as the big addition to the staff. Maybe the man from the SEC can get Bo Pelini's team over the four loss hump. I won't hold my breath.

Nebraska, this is your football team. Go 9-4, drop an embarrassing game or two, give the coach a vote of confidence and then get ready to do it all over again the next season.