Perlman Accepts Role as Lightning Rod
This week, Sports Illustrated published their list of the 50 most powerful people in sports. Interestingly, the list ranked Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney above NCAA president Mark Emmert. Perhaps then, it's no surprise that the new chair of the BCS playoff committee would come from the Big Ten. University of Nebraska Chancellor Harvey Perlman will take the reins of the committee that will determine who is selected to appear annually in the playoffs.
You can expect that the playoff selection will continue to be a televised Sunday event. Whether it's basketball or the current BCS, these broadcasts feature a fair amount of commentary about who's in and who's out. Invariably, people cry foul about an undeserving team that was picked or a deserving team that wasn't. You can bet that the man on the hot seat for these selections will be Perlman.
Still, you'd have to think it's an advantage for Nebraska to have their man in charge. If Nebraska is right on the fringe, he could be the tipping point. Even if the committee adopts the current basketball protocol, where he must leave the room when NU is discussed, his fellow committee members will have some incentive not to make things uncomfortable by leaving out his team.
Of course, there could be some interesting fireworks in the room. Also on the committee will be University of Texas president Bill Powers. No love lost there.
If Perlman wasn't already a somewhat well-known figure in college sports, he surely will be now. For better or worse, Perlman now becomes the face of the BCS selection committee.
Wakita, Oklahoma
3/7/2013
Probably not the best publicity for Nebraska ever.
San Diego, Ca.
3/8/2013
A grown up, for a grown up job.
Wakita, Oklahoma
3/8/2013
Well, anyway…“it’s an advantage for Nebraska to have their man in charge”. “If Nebraska is right on the fringe, he could be the tipping point”
Does that mean the same kind of tipping point as when that lady comes out after the latest election saying she voted for obama 6 times?
Usually, a team’s body of work during a season doesn’t need a “tipping point”.
I’ll agree on one thing, Pearlman is a grown man. Probably too grown, really. No one evidently has paid attention to rotten decisions Pearlman has made and been involved in over the years.
All I can say is keep the damn checkbook away from him.
3/8/2013
OU7times,
Bah, I think you are thinking of Byrne not Pearlman.
3/8/2013
OU7times…Do you ever have anything good to say…about anything? Hows life? Must suck bad to have your outlook.
Wakita, Oklahoma
3/9/2013
Yes, lots of good things to say, just not about Nebraska football right now (or the last 10 years).
Jesus, again?
Let me get the Big Chief tablet and crayons to draw a picture for you art starved kids. Perlman’s follies:
- He fired Steve Hanway’s buddy Frank Solich.
- He hired signed off on a contract extension for Bill Callahan shortly before firing him.
- He authorizes a private jet to fly to Fayetteville for the Houston Nutt fiasco which embarrassed the university and fans in front of the world.
- Perlman refuses to enforce integrity issues and hides in his office during several off field incidents involving Nebraska football players under Callahan’s watch.
- He authorizes the hiring of Bo Pelini
- He authorizes a contract extension for Bo Pelini after losing 3 of his last 4 games of the season including a wax job by S. Carolina in a bowl game.
- He authorized a raise for Bo Pelini again for showing no progress.
PE, what do you suggest we talk about that is positive about Perlman and Nebraska football?
Dude, you’ve obviously been cliff diving during low tide.
3/11/2013
OU7Times,
Again, I think you are thinking about Bill Byrne and not Pearlman.
Wakita, Oklahoma
3/12/2013
You are so kind, Johnny_Nebraska.
I’m just glad you think he’s giving you your money’s worth.
Wakita, Oklahoma
3/12/2013
PE,
Harvey Perlman was named CHANCELLOR at the University of Nebraska on April 1, 2001.
Bill Byrne was the ATHLETIC DIRECTOR at Nebraska from 1992-2003 when he bolted for Texas A&M.
Steve Pederson was hired December 20, 2002 by H. PERLMAN.
ONCE AGAIN! Bill Callahan had just been given a 5 YEAR contract extension authorized by Perlman just before being fired!
Oh wait, it gets better!
After further investigation i found that Steve Pederson had himself just been given a 5 YEAR contract extension at the beginning of the season (his last) by, you guessed it…Harvey Perlman!
PERLMAN, said post firing news conference that it would have cost 2.2 million to buy out Pedersons contract.
If you or anyone else believes that after working only one year of the 5 year contract extension that Pederson was only due 2.2 million on 4 years remaining, then you have trouble with math and logic my friend.
This should come as no revelation. Fans were emailing NU Regent Randy Ferlic by the thousands calling for the heads of Callahan, Pederson and PERLMAN in 2007, according to ESPN’s Ivan Maisel.
Look, this guy is the captain of Nebraska’s version of the USS Titanic and this guy should’ve been removed from the University of Nebraska nearly 13 years ago. He does not have the mental capacity to work with numbers. He makes horrible financial decicisions for your university. It was only after a big time booster withdrew did PERLMAN fire Pederson who he had just authorized a multi million dollar contract extension to.
PE, Nebraska was at it’s peak during the Bill Byrne years and you can’t see the downward trend for NU since this A-hole took over in 2001??
Sir, it is you who is mistaken.
3/12/2013
Dude…I don’t even read your tripe. You’ve got nothing to say that I want to infect myself with. In fact, people like you make me sick. Barf it up somewhere else.
Wakita, Oklahoma
3/12/2013
PE’s just used to getting kicked in the nuts…and he likes it.
3/12/2013
Ok, I am convinced, you ARE thinking of Pearlman.
Callahan was given the contract extension after defeating Nevada. Yes, I know, Nevada! Bill Byrne however, was responsible for getting us committed to the 55 million dollar renovation of the stadium before bolting for A&M. As far as Nebraska’s hay day or being at its peak, that is due to Osborne more than anyone else. I am pretty sure you would agree with that last statement. Most of Nebraska’s on field success was done prior to the facility upgrades that we have since put into place.
As to the degree the facility upgrades were necessary, eh. It is difficult to comment on that when we have coaching changes from Solich to Callahan and Pedersen ruining the traditions here at Nebraska. However, I am willing to stipulate that if we had retained Solich, or to a better degree, if Solich would have restrained himself, then we would have had the coaching and the facilities to have been much more successfull in the early years of this past decade.
Mostly, the criticisms of Pearlman are the result of what he walked into and how the boosters and fan base felt about what was going on at the University at the time. However, the coaching chaos, was not his fault. We were brain dead to fire Solich when we did. That alone cost us some payout money. He only had 1 year left on his contract at the time. But to try and put this all on Pearlman, is in my opinion, unjustified.
As far as the importance of money vs. values goes…. Would you rather Spanier stayed?
Wakita, Oklahoma
3/13/2013
Johnny
I really don’t know anything about Grahm Spanier.
3/19/2013
For once, I absolutely agree with OU7. Pearlman has made a lot of bone-headed decisions—in hindsight. He was directly responsible over Pedersen. Why give someone a 5-year extension based on 3 years work, when the results have been mediocre? Ditto for Pedersen/Callahan. Although at the time it did seem Callahan was actually going to do something positive - they had just come off a season where they played OU in the B12, and put up somewhat of a fight against Auburn in the bowl game (lots of off-topic subject material there, though), so it seemed Callie was headed the right direction. Then the bottom fell out of both his and Pedersen’s ships—Basically I think Pearlman realized the depth of his error and attempted to save the football team regardless of cost. He must have been guaranteed the $$ from boosters to do that, because that was ultimately an expense firing - and he had to know once he fired Pedersen, Callie’s days were done as well.
3/19/2013
Well, he wasn’t promissed anything but when he brought Osborne back, that brought back a lot of Alumni support that was alienated by the firing of Solich and the non-hiring of Pelini.