Nebraska's Bo Pelini won't sniff any Big 12 Conference coach-of-the-year honors this season, but it says here that he should be at least considered after getting the Cornhuskers back to a bowl game and possibly an eight-win regular season.

The irony of the situation is that while Pelini was brought in to fix Nebraska’s defense and the Blackshirts (yes, they’re Blackshirts now) are improved, truth is it has been the Huskers’ ball-hogging offensive approach has been the key to the turnaround. Consider that last year’s defense allowed an average of 6.1 yards per play and this year’s defense is giving up 5.8 yards per snap.

The difference? With NU near the top of the country in time of possession, its defense is facing an average of 15 fewer plays per game.

Some might say that time of possession doesn't matter or is an overrated statistic. That may be true in some cases, but not for Nebraska.

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