Ultimately, it came down to defense. Curt McKeever has a nice column today in the Lincoln Journal Star about the search process that Coach Osborne went through to ultimately make his decision to hire Bo Pelini. Pelini was the first candidate of five to be interviewed. Osborne said he suspected during that first meeting that Pelini may be the one, but he stayed true to the process and everyone, the university and the candidates are better for it.

Somewhat ironically, Osborne, who was always an offensive-minded coach said that ultimately, it came down to defense. If the role had been reversed and Callahan's team was strong defensively and weak offensively, maybe Turner Gill would have got the job. However, I think there's more to it than our short term needs.

The game of college football has changed. With fewer scholarships and smaller schools making inroads on recruiting in certain areas of the country that were once owned by a few elite teams, we now have what the NFL calls "parity." In the SEC, the best conference in football, you have high-scoring games, some going to triple-overtimes and teams each scoring up to 50 points. In other words, in this new era, Defense is going to win championships. We not only need the "Black Shirts" back, we need the best defense we've ever had in order to play with the big boys and start winning conference titles if not National Championships. I think Osborne is all too aware of this and that was the deciding factor in hiring Bo Pelini. It's the biggest decision Osborne has ever had to make. Certainly T.O.'s legacy is secured, but if Pelini is successful, it may be seen as Osborne's greatest triumph.

Labels: Nebraska Cornhuskers