2. Pelini is Succeeding at a Level Reserved to Veteran Coaches.

Of the 13 BCS coaches who have won more than 50 games since 2008, Pelini stands alone in his lack of previous experience.  The other 12 coaches in this group began the 2008 season, on average, in their 14^th season as head coaches.  A look at the head coaching experience of these most-winningest coaches when the 2008 season, Pelini’s first, started:

1.     Saban – was entering his 15^th season as college or pro head coach

2.     Stoops – was entering his 10^th

3.     Gundy – 4^th

4.     Miles – 8^th

5.     Kelly – 19^th

6.     Meyer – 8^th

7.    Pelini – 1^st

8.     Beamer – 28^th

9.     Brown – 25^th

10. Dantonio – 5^th

11. Spurrier – 24^th

12. Richt – 8^th

13. Pinkel – 18th

In his first six seasons on the job, Bo Pelini is 57-23, for a winning percentage of .713.  Looking through this list of the game's most winningest current coaches, few were able to win at this pace in their first six seasons on the job.    Just go down the list:

Nick Saban was just 42-28-1 in his first six seasons as a head coach.  Even at LSU, Saban’s third head coaching stop and his 7^th through 11^th seasons overall as a head coach, Saban’s record was merely two wins better than the record Pelini has amassed out of the gate in his first six seasons as a head coach.  

            Mike Gundy was 47-29 after six seasons (.618).

Les Miles’s career winning percentage was .571 after four seasons on the job, and .687 after nine seasons.  Both marks are inferior to Pelini’s.

Brian Kelly spent his first 13 seasons as head coach learning the ropes at Grand Valley State, before jumping up to Central Michigan.  There, in his 14^th through 16^th season, he compiled a record of just 19-16.  At Notre Dame, in his 21^st through 24^th seasons as a head coach, Kelly has a 36-14 mark, a winning percentage of .720.  Despite 20 years of head coaching experience before heading to Notre Dame, Kelly’s record with the Irish is exactly one win better than the record Pelini has compiled in his first six seasons out of the gate.

Frank Beamer was 24-40-2 (.363) in his first six seasons at Virginia Tech.

Mack Brown was 19-47-1 (.283) after his first six seasons as a head coach.

            Mark Dantonio was 40-34 (.540) in his first six seasons as a head coach.

Steve Spurrier was 48-21-1 (.685) after his first six seasons, a mark inferior to Pelini’s.

      Gary Pinkel was 41-20-3 in his first 6 seasons as a head coach (.640), then just 37-35 (.514) in his first six seasons as a head coach at the BCS level. 

In terms of winning, Pelini is light years ahead of where college football’s most respected coaches were at the same stages of their careers.

These veteran coaches learned the ropes in their early seasons, compiling records far inferior to Pelini's at this stage in their careers, but benefited greatly from continuity, stability, and patience. The results: exponential improvement in their records after they had several years of head coaching experience under their belt.  

Imagine what the future holds for a coach who started his career at a pace far superior to what these top coaches were able to do.