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This week while on vacation I got the chance to reconnect with one of my cousins, who's back farming in Western Nebraska and always good for an argument. Not that he's disagreeable, it's that he's from the same bloodline as myself and therefore always looking for a good fight, although one where we can laugh at the end (and then start on another topic, which lasts until the beer runs out).
Having not seen him in at least a year the topic sooner or later had to turn to Nebraska football. The obvious point of discussion was "Who's Nebraska's next football coach". My cousin was adamant that the next coach be Turner Gill, but for a reason I hadn't heard yet:
"It has to be a Nebraska guy as the next head coach. Who else is going to come coach at Nebraska as long as Tom Osborne is the as athletic director? The next coach is going to be constantly compared to him - who wants that?
It's a good point - one worthy of discussion. The prevailing attitude is that Tom Osborne commands so much respect nationally that any coach would be willing to listen should he give them a call. But is that true, or will they see the job as a no-win situation in which they can never live up to a legend?
With a Nebraska guy like Gill would we be more forgiving, give more time, or would the expectations be higher than ever? I don't think anyone, including the powers running the show, know the answer to that one.
We're now one week away from knowing the answers to these questions. Killing you, isn't it?