Thanksgiving is over, and it is now time for the silly season. Silly season is that time between Thanksgiving and until it is decided who is going to run against one another for the presidency.

In all of my years of following politics, never have I so wanted a 'None of the Above' check box on my ballot. All of these idiots running are so not worthy of my vote. Maybe something will change, but I cannot get on any bandwagon yet.

The one bandwagon I can get on is the 'ESPN needs sense knocked into them' bandwagon. ESPN, now filled with young, 'hip', east and west coast reporters have lost all perspective on sports in general, let alone football specifically. Once again, the football nation is now flyover country to the country club crowd populating major media, and ESPN is not immune to this despite having people from midwest schools.

The latest was just today, where the substitute host for Greeny was bashing the Nebraska coaching position that's open, then had Lou Holtz bring up the Frank Solich firing once again.

Now, if ESPN reporters were real reporters and looked at the real story, they would find the following:

1) Frank Solich had a 7-7 season the previous year, and many Nebraska boosters were seeing his offense wallow in frustration that year.
2) Stevie 'The Vision' Pederson, the new athletic director, had to give Frank one more year as Frank was still Tom Osborne's buddy and Tom still had more clout politically than Stevie at the time. Stevie forced Frank to change his coordinators, however (something that was brought up by Tom in the Bill Calahan firing press conference, and thus still a sore spot for Tom)
3) If Frank had won the national championship, Stevie was still going to fire him.

The dynamic here is 'The Vision'. The infamous mediocrity line by 'The Vision' is now burned into the minds of the people of Nebraska. The firing of Frank was between 'The Vision' and the boosters vs the 'old guard' that Frank embodied.

Turn the chapter 4 years later. Tom's back, Stevie 'The Vision' is out. The coach Stevie hired turned out to be a bust, there is no way else to put it. The last man to officially coach the Huskers is the front runner for the job, Bo Pelini, who was one of those replacement coordinators mentioned above.

But, if you are a football man and not some country clubber, Nebraska can be (and I state CAN) one of the best jobs in the nation.

1) Nebraska fans are the most loyal in the nation. Think about it: who else in the country could sell out the entire stadium even when we get bombed 73-39 the week before by a team we used to crush on a constant basis?

2) Nebraska actually has fewer of the 'rabid' fans than most colleges, and the 'rabid' fans are far more bark than bite. We've never rioted on campus because our team lost. We give standing ovations to opponents, even if beaten. Sure, we have our hotheads, but there are far fewer than most colleges.

3) Football is important to Nebraskans because it is the one sport we support. We support events, like concerts, the College World Series, etc. but for a fandom, Nebraska football is it. We don't have pro teams, and the minor league pro teams we do have we don't have ties to. However, natives of Nebraska usually have some relative that has gone to UNL at some point. It is the only fully Division I school we have. Other states have at least two: a XXX and XXX State (Kansas, Kansas State, etc.) that divides loyalties.

So, if a coach wants to be treated like royalty, and loves the game of football, Nebraska has to be one of the top jobs in the country. If, however, you are only looking for cash, it isn't. If you mind living with people looking over your shoulder, watching your every move, it isn't. They won't say anything, but the eyes are still there and I know that makes a lot of coaches nervous.

Yet, when our biggest scandal in our school's history is because a star player from California beats up his girlfriend, which does not even get on the police blotter in most college towns, that's saying something.

Nebraska is a top football job, period. But, that does mean there are standards to be met and if you can't handle those standards, you are not worthy.