Bo Pelini Raise : Did Tom Osborne Make the Right Decision?
Buried amongst Big 10 college football news amid the allegations going on in Columbus, OH, Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne recently gave out a substantial raise to its head football coach Bo Pelini.
And a substantial raise it was...
As drawn out by Lincoln Journal Star sports columnist Steve Sipple, the new deal for Pelini includes an 18 percent raise over his previous year's salary that will increase $100,000 every year till the end of the new contract in 2015 in which he'll bring home $3.175 Million as the Husker's head football coach. And that is before any bonuses begin to kick in.
A direct excerpt from Sipple's article includes the following:
Bonuses in the new deal increased markedly compared with those in Pelini's 2010 deal, when Nebraska played in the Big 12. Under the new bonus structure, Pelini would be paid one of the following amounts (with increases in parentheses):
- *$100,000 for tying for the Legends Division title, without an appearance in the conference championship game (up $50,000).
- *$200,000 for reaching the Big Ten championship game (up $50,000)
- *$350,000 for winning the league championship game (up $100,000).
- In addition, Pelini would receive $150,000 if Nebraska reaches any bowl game (up $50,000) or $250,000 if it's a BCS bowl, which is a bonus not part of his previous deal.
- He would receive $350,000 if NU reaches the BCS championship game (up $200,000) or $650,000 if the Huskers win the BCS crown (up $400,000).
- Another new perk is 16 hours of private jet use for personal travel.
If Pelini is fired without contractual cause, Nebraska will owe him $150,000 per month, or $1.8 million annually, for the remaining time on his contract. In his 2010 deal, the liquidated damages per month were $62,500.
Taking all of these numbers into consideration, Bo Pelini could end up making $3.975 Million if Nebraska were to end up winning the BCS National Championship in 2011. (Assuming that a BCS championship would also include a Big 10 Championship, as it almost assuredly would.)
That is quite a rise up the monetary scale when you consider Bo Pelini was making $1.1 million in his first season as head coach of the Husker football team.
Thus, the real question remains. Has Bo Pelini earned such a spike in his compensation as the head coach of Nebraska's football team?
Let's take a look at the pros and cons of Bo's latest contractual upgrade.
PRO: Defense Wins Championships
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There is little doubt that Bo Pelini has completely turned around the on-field performance of the Huskers defense.
The season prior to Pelini taking over the helm at Nebraska, Husker fans witnessed their once proud Blackshirts relegated to being one of college football's biggest jokes in all the land. Such terms as "Pinkshirts" were thrown around by many of Nebraska's biggest rivals in Big 12 country as they slumped to the No. 112 ranked total defense and No. 114 ranked scoring defense in the entire country.
The breaking point was the 76 points that Kansas laid upon the Huskers in 2007. Previously, in the decades of the '70s and '80s, the Blackshirts had never given up more than 76 in an entire decade, much less a single game. (In the 1970s, the Husker defense gave a total of 47 points to Kansas. In the 1980s, the Husker defense gave up a total of 73 points to Kansas from 1980 to 1989.)
Two short years later, and the Husker's once proud defensive heritage was restored in 2009 with the nation's No. 1 ranked scoring defense in all the land.
Pictured here (Ndamukong Suh) is one of the most dominant defensive lineman that ever played college football. His final two years at Nebraska (2008, 2009) will go down as two of the best years any defensive lineman ever had in the collegiate ranks. While he hauled home almost every defensive award imaginable for a defensive lineman, it all culminated when he was selected as the overall No. 2 selection in the 2010 NFL draft.
Suh's remarkable change from his Sophomore season under the previous regime into his Junior and Senior uprising is a testament to the brilliance of Pelini as a defensive coach.
And it isn't just about Suh as the Husker defense proved in 2010. In the pass happy Big 12, the Husker defense ended up ranked No. 3 in passing efficiency defense just last year. They also ended the year as the No. 9 ranked scoring defense, and No. 11 in total defense.
There are very few coaches around the country that are regarded as highly from a defensive standpoint as Bo Pelini.
When Tom Osborne went looking for a defensive-minded coach to restore the Blackshirt tradition, it can easily be considered as a job well done.
Over the past two seasons, Nebraska has been competitive in each and every game they have played. Without any doubt, that competitiveness can largely be attributed to its defense. A defense that has been good enough to compete for not only conference championships, but National Championships as well.
PRO: Nebraska Football Culture
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Pictured here is Rex Burkhead. A gleaming example of the heritage of Nebraska football in which hard-nosed maximum effort is combined with a blue-collar mentality.
One of the proudest moments for any Husker fan is the 1995 Orange Bowl in which the will and determination of the Nebraska football team out-hustled, and simply out-muscled, the much more talented and physically gifted Miami team in the 1995 Orange Bowl.
Two fourth-quarter touchdowns by the now infamous fullback, Corey Schlesinger, capped the Huskers' undefeated national championship season. With All-American defensive tackle Warren Sapp gasping for air in the fourth quarter, the Husker "Pipeline" simply dominated the action in the fourth quarter as they overcame two decades worth of frustration in bringing home a National Championship trophy to Lincoln, NE.
During the latter years under Frank Solich's guidance, and all through the Callahan years, the Husker teams was regarded as being 'soft' and lacking in its physicality.
Without any doubt, Bo Pelini has brought back a tougher mentality on the defensive side of the ball and the Huskers are now more intent to grind out victories running the football and playing fast and physical defense.
"Throwing the bones" and the Blackshirt traditions are back, and rolling into his fourth season as the head coach at Nebraska, there is little worry that the Husker defense will be able to be amongst the elite defenses as they enter the Big 10 conference.
The hard-working blue-collar mentality that we will simply outwork people has come back for many a Nebraska fan. While the overall talent level has been upgraded on both sides of the ball, most Husker fans are more enthused about having a team willing to fight for every inch of the football field. A culture that was simply missed for nearly a decade.
PRO: Husker Football Relevance
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Before Bo Pelini stepped on campus in January of 2008, the relevance of Husker football had dipped to an all-time low in well over 45 years.
Not since 1962 had Nebraska football meant so little on a national scale.
National scale? The Husker football team didn't even mean that much in their own conference as they were bottom-feeders in the much maligned Big 12 North in 2007.
In three short years, Bo Pelini has transformed the once proud Husker football team that was regarded as Top-10 worthy in preseason polls just last year. And in polls that we have seen in 2011, the Huskers are regarded as Top-15 worthy, and most likely will be ranked in the Top 20 when preseason polls are actually released.
While preseason polls don't really mean all that much in the grand scheme of things, it does mean something as far as being nationally recognized, noticed, and respected.
No longer is Nebraska regarded as a game that you 'could' lose; they are regarded as a tough team to beat. And among many Big 10 early season polls that we see on-line and on TV, the Huskers are regarded as early season Big 10 favorites to win the first ever Big 10 conference championship game.
Again, while this may not mean all that much when all is said and done after the 2011 season, the simple fact that fans and analysts across the nation are talking about Nebraska in such high regard means that they are relevant amongst the college football world once again.
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PRO: Undoubtable Improvement over Previous Staff
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In the four years that Bill Callahan was the head coach at Nebraska, the Huskers were an abominable 27-22 under his guidance with only two bowl game appearances in his four years as head coach.
In Bo Pelini's first three years at Nebraska he is 29-12 with three straight bowl game appearances, including two wins in post season play.
Pictured here is previous head coach Bill Callahan going through his lengthy chart of plays with former Husker Quarterback Sam Keller. Much of the criticism regarding Callahan was his lengthy and hard to learn playbook along with his NFL style and West Coast Offense.
While Callahan's offenses did 'click' once in a while, they struggled immensely when challenged against difficult defenses and opponents.
As for the Callahan-Cosgrove defenses? Well, the numbers speak for themselves.
While we can all grind an axe with the offenses that have been displayed under Pelini's guidance, it is tough to argue the overall success he has had at Nebraska when compared to his predecessor.
Not only is he not getting manhandled by Big 12 North opponents, but his teams were also challenging the upper echelon teams in the Big 12 over the past two years. Something Callahan never achieved during his stay at Nebraska.
When all is said and done 27-22 vs. 29-12 is tough for even the most ardent supporter of Bill Callahan to deny. Simply put, the improvement of Nebraska football in the three years under Bo's guidance purely eclipses anything that Bill Callahan did during his stay at Nebraska.
And if we are simply comparing on the field performance from Callahan to Pelini, it is a landslide victory in Pelini's favor.
PRO: Move to Big 10 Warrants More Money
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The move to the Big 10 has given the University of Nebraska much more money to put into their coffers than they ever enjoyed in the Big 12.
The extra cash gives the Huskers and the Athletic Department the opportunity to stake a claim to their head coach and not give many other programs the ability to come in and possibly uplift their coach from their program.
The position of Bo being the third-highest paid coach in the Big 10 seems reasonable. Even with Joe Paterno making less money than Bo on an annual basis, it makes sense. Rolling into Big 10 play, Ohio State and Nebraska are the prohibitive favorites from their respective divisions with Iowa, Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan State making the biggest plays against them for the Big 10 title.
One could argue that Mark Dantonio may deserve a bigger payday than Bo. Either way, Dantonio has only compiled a 33-19 record at Michigan State compared to Bo's 29-12 mark. Favor towards Bo even though Dantonio took over a 4-8 Michigan State team compared to Bo's 5-7 team he took over. Bo has done more in three years than Dantonio did in three years at Michigan State before their memorable run just last season.
With all that said, the best coach in the league may well be Pat Fitzgerald at Northwestern. But that is an argument for another day.
The entrance of Nebraska to the Big 10 could warrant the raise for Bo in and of itself. While we could argue whether it be deserved, the guy who made it happen felt as much to give him the raise as well.
CON: CEO, Media and Fan Skills
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Maybe the biggest aplomb to Bo Pelini during his stay at Nebraska has been his dealings with the media and fans at Nebraska. This also delves into his sideline demeanor that has been questioned and ridiculed amongst Husker fans and all across the nation alike.
While Bill Callahan was ripped for his throat cutting gesture against Oklahoma, Bo Pelini has been hampered by his blow up in the 2009 Big 12 Championship game followed by his lambasting of starting QB Taylor Martinez on the sideline in last year's contest with Texas A&M.
One can also point towards his 'handling' of the media at Nebraska as being sub-par at best.
Bo is a furious competitor and a hard-nosed guy that simply doesn't respect, much less enjoy, his duties when dealing with the media. While his demeanor has improved over the past twelve months, the kid gloves of the Nebraska media could turn on Bo if things begin to turn for the worst.
You'll be hard-pressed to find a media member in Nebraska outside of Steve Sipple that is willing to write glorious articles for Bo if he continues down his path of complete and total disregard for the media and fans.
Recent events in which he has cancelled public appearances at golf outings, football classes for the public, and the non-appearance of the Husker Spring Game on the Big 10 network. These could all backfire for a coach that has brought about so much good for Nebraska football over the past three years.
Smiling isn't against the law, and is somewhat appreciated. Especially when a camera is in your face, and especially when a good light can be shown upon your program.
Of all the skills that Bo has displayed with his defensive improvement at Nebraska, his PR skills have been debated amongst even his most ardent of supporters. If this path continues, four loss seasons will not be tolerated, and if his teams were to ever run into five or (gasp) six loss season, they could come back to haunt him.
At best, Bo can survive continued four-loss seasons, at worst season ending failures in which three out of four games turn into losses will not be tolerated. Especially if he continues to be so divisive with the media and fans that truly want to back him with the same passion he displays on the sideline each and every week.
CON: Offense
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With all the great things that Bo has brought about on the defensive side of the ball, we have seen a definitive decline on the offensive side of the ball as well.
During the 2008 season, the Husker offense could be argued to have held the Husker defense above water for much of the season including a 2008 bowl win over Clemson.
In 2009, with an incumbent QB coming back, the offense changed dramatically after a woeful loss to Iowa State. His offensive coordinator was given less and less command towards his knowledge of a true West Coast Offense, and the Husker offense was simply (at times) playing defensive. Defensive in order to not make mistakes and turn over the football as opposed to trying to attack.
Many excuses were made after the season, and the 2010 season we were to see a much more upbeat and 'offensive' attack.
Through the first three games, all was well in Lincoln, NE. Western Kentucky, Idaho and Washington simply couldn't match the speed and athleticism of the new-found Zone Read offense, and the Huskers who were looking like the juggernaut offenses from Oregon and Florida of years past and present.
Then South Dakota State. And then...Texas.
The offense came to an abrupt halt, and outside of showings against weak defenses from Kansas State and Oklahoma State, the Husker offense never got back into high gear again all season. The big play offense turned into a three and out offense that was eerily similar to the 2009 offense at the tail end of the season in 2009. Outside of a couple of huge Roy Helu runs against Missouri, the Husker offense came to a complete halt last year.
It all culminated in three losses in the last four games in which the offense only produced 33 points in the three losses including the dismal six points against Texas A&M and seven they produced against Washington. A Washington team which they ripped for 56 points earlier in the year.
With the supposed scapegoat in Shawn Watson and Ted Gilmore out of the picture, new Offensive Coordinator Tim Beck will lead the charge for the Husker offense in 2011.
This change will carry heavy undertones for many Husker fans over the entire 2011 season. If the Huskers continue to struggle offensively, many a finger will be pointed. And many will be pointed in Bo's direction.
Regardless of which side of the fence you stand upon, if the Huskers continue to struggle offensively in the biggest and most important games on the schedule, the buck will have to start stopping at the head coaches feet eventually.
CON: Who Has Nebraska Beat?
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During the '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s, Husker teams were recognized for beating good teams. In fact, beating a lot of good teams.
Wins over a Bear Bryant SEC Championship team from Alabama. Beating Oklahoma in the "Game of the Century", outlasting a very good Miami team for a National Title, and lambasting Steve Spurrier and the No. 2 team from Florida.
Those are legendary Husker wins. Can you find a 'legendary' Husker win over the past three years?
Has Nebraska fan's standards dropped due to Solich and Callahan?
Maybe.
Now we stand heading into the fourth season under the Pelini regime and the biggest carrot we have in our hat is a win over an 8-5 Oklahoma team? Sure, we can argue over an 11-2 Oklahoma State team, or a 10-2 regular season Missouri team last year, but when was the last time those teams did anything reputable on a national level?
No offense to either of those schools, but beating Oklahoma State and Missouri was second hand stuff in the Osborne and Devaney days. Neither team has been invited to a BCS bowl game, much less won. In fact, the last time Missouri or Oklahoma State went to a 'big' bowl was in 1969 when Missouri attended the Orange Bowl as the Big 8 Champion. (And yes, they lost.)
So in reality, who have we actually beat? Arizona and Clemson?
The only thing we have really done is turn the tables on Missouri and the rest of the Big 12 North under Pelini. While we can consider close losses to Texas and Oklahoma over the past two seasons as a means to show our improvement, they are still losses.
So...we didn't get beat as bad as we did before?
Time to step up and actually beat somebody of note. And that will start first and foremost with Ohio State next year.
CON: Schedule Upgrade
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Welcome to the Big House.
Three of the biggest stadiums in all of college football reside in the Big 10.
Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan all have stadiums that can hold well over 100,000 people.
Missouri was our "toughest" away stadium in the Big 12 North. In the Big 10 Legends division we will have to travel to the Big House that can seat well over 100,000 people. Not only that, but Michigan State's stadium is also bigger than Mizzou.
The rest? Just like Michigan and Michigan State, their fans will also be less forgiving in offering up tickets to away travelling Husker fans. The luxury we enjoyed in which many times half the stadium was full of Husker fans in away games is now gone.
Michigan and Michigan State fans will give up their tickets sparingly at best. Iowa will never give us that luxury, and if you believe tickets will be easy to get in Chicago and Minneapolis, then you need to recheck your schedule. The days in which we travelled to Iowa State and Kansas and completely dominated the stadium presence are over. Especially when you consider that we are the new kids on the block in the Big 10 and everybody and their dog wants to give us a rude awakening into "their" storied conference.
We have also seen the Big 10 give the Huskers a rude awakening in the schedule that we have been given in our first Big 10 season of play:
- @ Wisconsin
- Ohio State
- @ Minnesota
- Michigan State
- Northwestern
- @ Penn State
- @ Michigan
- Iowa
Throw in an away game at Wyoming with Fresno State and Washington at home, and the upgrade in schedule from 2010 to 2011 is significantly tougher.
And when all was said and done in 2010, the Huskers simply ran out of gas at the end of the season. What will happen when we play a schedule two to three times as difficult as the one we played just last year?
Can you find a for sure win in that 2011 Big 10 schedule? Don't be so reliant upon that road game to Minnesota or the home game against Northwestern. Having Wisconsin and Ohio State upfront is no bargain for anybody. A couple of losses in those games makes the rest of the season all that much more difficult. Even if we go 1-1 or 2-0 in those games, the affect those games could have on our team could be tough to last through the remaining six games on the schedule.
Throw in back-to-back road games to the Big House and Beaver Stadium before we then play the team that wants to beat us so bad they can taste it in Iowa. Our schedule is a far cry from just last year in which we completely folded down the stretch. As they say, be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.
SUMMATION
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Without any doubt, Bo Pelini has rejuvenated the Nebraska football program. Gone are the 76 and 70 point totals that were put upon our team in embarrassing fashion in years past. Gone are the 20 to 30 and even 50- or 60-point blowouts against opponents we used to dominate.
However, the Huskers have yet to beat anybody of note that would raise an eyebrow or two across the country.
Getting solid wins over Missouri, Oklahoma State, and Colorado are expected from Nebraska.
While the respect amongst college football fans across the country has been somewhat achieved, the ultimate goal of challenging for National Titles is as far away as any time in the history of the program before Bob Devaney took over in 1962.
Does the move to the Big 10 and the big pockets of the Big 10 Network warrant a raise?
Maybe, and very likely the answer.
If the offense continues to struggle, the anti-Bo crowd will gain more and more steam to question his abilities as a head coach. If Bo wants to continue his disdain for the media, public and the fans at large, he'll find it tougher and tougher to gain the respect of those so willing to embrace him.
For the large part, Husker fans are looking to give him the love that they gave Tom Osborne. They want to do it so bad they can feel it.
So..., should Bo be paid like Tom Osborne should have been paid in the past? Has he earned the reward of being the third highest paid coach in the Big 10?
Damn good question.
What say you Husker faithful?
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
