Nebraska Football: Changes Nebraska and Bo Pelini Can Make Before Next Season

Can you fire a coach who wins nine or 10 games a season? The answer is simple: No.

That doesn't mean the idea isn't on some Nebraska fans' minds. After the Cornhuskers' 59-24 loss to Wisconsin, the fanbase has found itself split once again.

Some want head coach Bo Pelini gone regardless of season win-loss totals, while others do not. It's made for interesting conversations, but none are truly focusing on what really needs to happen.

And, no, firing Pelini isn't the solution.

Instead, Pelini and the Huskers need to be ready and willing to make a change. What exactly does that change look like? First and foremost, it starts at the defensive coordinator position.

John Papuchis has been with Nebraska and Pelini for seven seasons, and he's been at the helm of the Blackshirts for three years. In that time, Papuchis has made small progress with the defense. However, it's often undermined by major losses like the most recent one against Wisconsin.

Nebraska simply cannot afford to lose like that anymore. If the old "defense wins championships" cliche is true, then change to correct that problem needs to begin.

Pelini has made a name for himself as someone who stays loyal to his staff. If the head coach can prevent it, he'd prefer to not have to make any staff changes. However, fans have been wanting something to happen for a couple of years now, as the Lincoln Journal Star's Steven M. Sipple's looked at in 2012.

At the time, Sipple felt it was too premature for Pelini to make any changes. Two years later, things have changed and Pelini is now standing dangerously on the edge of no longer being able to control the situation.

He wants to win. During his monthly radio call-in show, Sports Nightly, Pelini made that clear.

“I’m going to do everything I possibly can for these kids and try to give it my best every day," he said (h/t Rich Kaipust of the Omaha World-Herald).

Pelini went on to say he won't be happy "until we win 'em all." If that's really what Pelini thinks and wants, change is now necessary.

Firing Papuchis might not be ideal for Pelini. However, being willing to make a change—especially on the defensive side of the ball—would likely save his own job. That's the key.

And there really is no time like the present.

With Will Muschamp now available, he may be the right fit for the Nebraska defense. "[Muschamp] may have proven that he’s a career coordinator at this point, but in this context that’s perfectly fine," Hail Varsity's Brandon Vogel noted. "It’s not like Florida’s defense was the reason he was fired."

With a coach like Muschamp available, delaying the inevitable may be the worst thing Pelini can do.

That's not to say firing Papuchis would guarantee Pelini's job for years to come—as staff changes didn't save Frank Solich—but the willingness to make a change could rebuild some trust with the fans who want Pelini gone.

That's another change that needs to happen at Nebraska. The trust needs to be rebuilt.

That's obviously easier said than done, but Pelini can start now. Defeating both Minnesota and Iowa would be a good start. Winning whatever bowl game the Huskers are sent to would also help.

If Pelini can end this season 11-2, make a couple of staff changes and secure a strong recruiting class, trust will come with it. Pelini may never earn back the faith of the entire Nebraska fanbase, but there are plenty of Husker supporters who would be willing to back the coach if he showed a willingness to change.

That's what remains unknown, though. Is Pelini willing to make a change? If he truly cares about doing everything for his players, how far is he willing to go for them?

Pelini is loyal to those around him. It shows in how his players speak of him. Wide receiver Kenny Bell, for instance, called fans who want the head coach gone "crazy," per Sipple of the Lincoln Journal Star. Bell even said he'd play "against Satan himself and a team of demons at the gates of the underworld" for Pelini last year, as ESPN.com's Mitch Sherman reported.

The ball is now in Pelini's court. There are changes Nebraska can make, but it all starts with the head coach. Will he be willing to do what's needed to win and rebuild trust with fans?

Only time, and the outcome of upcoming games, will tell.