Mason at Nebraska? (Sporting News)
If Callahan goes, Nebraska can't blow it again
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By Tom Dienhart, Sporting News
Posted October 16, 2007
Things have reached a critical mass at Nebraska with the firing of AD Steve Pederson. And the long-term future of the program is at stake.
It was Pederson's idea to instigate the change in culture at Lincoln that saw Frank Solich get fired and Bill Callahan hired.
Pederson alienated a lot of people in Lincoln. That's OK -- if your changes bring success. But Pederson's regime struggled. He just received a contract extension over the summer and still is owed more than $2 million.
The next to go may to be Callahan. If he is let go, he'll also be owed a wad of cash, as he inked an extension earlier this fall.
But money never stood in the way of a big-time school that wanted to make a change.
Many natives got their wish when former Husker coach Tom Osborne was named interim AD. That will mollify the masses, but is just a short-term fix. One of his first orders of business will be determining the fate of Callahan. (An interesting name for the full-time AD post, though a long shot, is Barry Alvarez. The big fella is a Nebraska alum who worshiped the architect of Big Red football: Bob Devaney. While it would take a lot to get Alvarez out of his kingdom at Wisconsin, where he is AD, coming to Nebraska to serve as AD and rehabber of Big Red pride may be the ticket.)
With Callahan's future tenuous, at best, speculation on his successor has begun. A frontrunner has to be LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini. He ran the Husker defense in 2003 and was interim head coach for Nebraska's bowl win over Michigan State that year. Despite being wildly popular among Big Red fans and good at what he does, Pelini just got a cursory look from Pederson for the full-time gig.
If Nebraska does change coaches, it seems vital to get a guy with some ties to the school. That brings you back to Pelini.
Nebraska seems to be going through the same growing pains Oklahoma suffered after Barry Switzer left. The Sooners tried and failed with Gary Gibbs, Howard Schnellenberger and John Blake before striking gold with a rising defensive coordinator: Bob Stoops.
In replacing Osborne, Nebraska tried and failed with Frank Solich and now, apparently, with Callahan. That brings us back to Pelini, whose resume parallels Stoops in many ways before he got the job in Norman in 1999.
It all makes too much sense.
If Nebraska wants an established coach, how about Glen Mason? He knows the recruiting terrain from his days coaching Minnesota and Kansas. And his ground-pounding style would be embraced by the Husker faithful. Did you know Mason's Gophers set an NCAA record by producing two 1,000-yard rushers in a season three years in a row (2003-2005)? Yeah, it sounds a lot like Nebraska football. If Mason can do that at a place like Minnesota, imagine what he can do with the type of talent he can attract to Nebraska.
And look how veteran coaches like Dennis Erickson (Arizona State) and Rich Brooks (Kentucky) have done when given another chance.
Whatever Nebraska does, it can't blow this hire.
Groh must stick the landing
Al Groh has done a good job rallying Virginia to six consecutive wins after a disastrous season-opening loss at Wyoming. But it could all unravel with a bad finish. And that's likely, given the fact the Cavs have games remaining at Maryland, at N.C. State, vs. Wake Forest, at Miami, and vs. Virginia Tech.
A flop, and Groh -- who entered the year in the crosshairs -- may be out.
A guy to watch if a change is made in Charlottesville is Harvard coach Tim Murphy, who coached Cincinnati from 1989-93. Murphy has grown since that stint, winning three Ivy League titles and forging two unbeaten seasons in Cambridge. Could Murphy be the next Jim Tressel?
Clemson looks restless
Word is Tommy Bowden may need to win nine games to keep his job. That means he would need to go 5-1 down the stretch. And games remain at Maryland, vs. Wake Forest and Boston College, and at South Carolina.
If a change is made, the Tigers could look to a coach with a defensive edge. Virginia Tech's Bud Foster is a guy who's ready and able. He has nothing left to prove. Plus, he would instill needed toughness and improve what has been a horrid special teams situation.
And Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp should get a look. He is one of the nation's hottest coordinators and a rising star.
Expect Pitt to stand pat
Pitt is struggling, and Dave Wannstedt is feeling heat. But look for him to get another year.
There is no AD in place. And remember this: Pitt had to almost beg Wanny to take the job. Those things make if difficult to see Pitt dumping Wannstedt, who is playing several youngsters, after just three seasons.
On the AD front, Nebraska associate AD Marc Boehm, who previously worked at Pitt, may be a frontrunner for the post.
Etc.
A source told me that Bowling Green coach Gregg Brandon approached athletic director Greg Christopher in the offseason about getting a contract extension. Brandon was denied. Bowling Green is 3-3 this year in Brandon's fifth season.
With Sonny Lubick all but set to retire at Colorado State, it looks like Montana coach Bobby Hauck may emerge as a front-runner for the post.
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