Hurricanes. Floods. Tornadoes. Nebraska fans. Not necessarily in that order.

Husker fans are a force of nature. For a coach, athletic director or sports columnist, they are the gift that keeps on giving. They are relentless. Never take a day off.

In most corners of the press box, the fans wouldn't be a story. Here, I disagree.

Husker fans are part of the story. They are stockholders and caretakers, both guardians and providers of the flame. Heck, they are the flame. It's been that way since this party started, 50 years ago this fall.

When they speak, I listen.

This week, they spoke and spoke and spoke.

I'm always careful not to characterize reaction as a majority or minority, either way. We don't know. What I get is a sampling.

What I got this week was an earful. Two ears full.

The focus was head football coach Bo Pelini. His behavior in the Capital One Bowl. And his team's meltdown in the second half. People were embarrassed by both.

There were all sorts of complaints, ranging from Pelini's inexperienced staff to his inability to play young talent to failure to develop quarterbacks. Stuff you get after any Husker loss.

The difference was the tone. It was much angrier and more pointed against Pelini. Fourteen months ago, after his celebrated tirade at Texas A&M, the public sentiment passionately supported Coach Bo. They said he had every right to go off on the crooked Big 12 zebras.

Now, they're tired of meltdowns — from Bo and his team. Some called for Pelini to get out of town. But there weren't many of those.

What was interesting was many fans didn't stop there.

They wanted to know: Is Lincoln burning?

Is the athletic department heading down the wrong road? And is anyone minding the store?

They're embarrassed by Doc Sadler's brand of hoops. Very interesting.

People aren't going to games. But they still show concern. I suppose that's a good thing.

And they wonder if Athletic Director Tom Osborne is sitting around his office watching the whole thing slide into a place a former A.D. used to call mediocrity.

And if mediocrity sets in, empty seats will follow. Fundraising will dry up. There will be a lost generation of Husker fans. These are not my concerns. I just listen.

Let me tell you: Apathy will never live in Lincoln, Nebraska — at least not for football. They will fire everyone in Lincoln before apathy moves in.

It's been a lively week, but I can't help but think that it would have been different had Nebraska stopped the Hail Mary pass and figured out a way to beat South Carolina. Would there be Rose Bowl plans instead?

That's speculation. The fact is, Husker fans saw another meltdown and, combined with Doc's sad state of affairs, alarms are going off.

My take? Lincoln isn't burning. But there's definitely smoke. Maybe someone's having a cookout.

Nebraska athletics are not in the tank, and that's on the field, too.

Baseball has new life with a promising staff. Volleyball won the Big Ten in its first year. Wrestling just pinned No. 6 Ohio State.

There's a facilities boom, from a downtown arena to the east Memorial Stadium project to a new, improved Devaney Center.

NU is poised to take off on the rocket ship that is the Big Ten-Pac-12 partnership, which should transform conference members into international players — and allow the schools to recruit athletes and fans around the world.

Osborne is setting up NU to thrive in the future. He's shown great leadership.

But the thing about leadership is, it never rests.

Arenas are no good if they're half-empty. Big Ten membership isn't a big deal if you're looking up from the bottom.

Osborne has a basketball program that must be dealt with in the next two seasons. The new arena opens in 2013. Right now, there's negative momentum toward that.

Knowing Osborne, I expect him to give Doc another season in the practice facility. But I've learned never to guess what Osborne may or may not do. I didn't think that he'd fire Mike Anderson.

Football is different. It goes by different rules. Pelini has also won nine games each year. Osborne was allowed to grow into his career at nine a year, thanks to a boss who gave him room. Osborne likely will give Bo the same room — with no interference — that Bob Devaney afforded him.

I think that the next three years are huge for Pelini. The conference schedule sets up for a run to the Rose Bowl in that span. And if Pelini could win one Big Ten title, maybe everyone, including the Boorish Bo character, could just relax.

Some will always be turned off by Pelini. He's earned that. In four years, Pelini hasn't put much, if any, work into public relations or making friends. He doesn't have a lot of goodwill chips stored up.

That said, Pelini has definitely grown. Other than his press conference blow-up, he's been relatively calm this year. Last Monday was a relapse. People had thought he was beyond it. So it could happen again down the road. Probably will.

What really threw folks for a loop was Pelini putting the lack of execution and discipline on his players. That's not the Nebraska Way, or even the Pelini Way.

Four years ago, Pelini arrived in Lincoln as the savior, the conquering hero who had not yet conquered. Four years later, some wonder if he has the right stuff.

Truth is, there's still a Bo Bandwagon. There are Bolievers who will tell you they like that intensity and think that he's about to turn the corner.

I don't know if they are the majority or minority, but right now they are silent. I didn't hear from any of them.

Here's what I know: This will be a very interesting, and very telling, year. In 2012, we will know a lot about the future of Nebraska football and basketball and possibly even the athletic director. Might Osborne give us a hint? Does he have a succession plan?

I know this, too: I'm not worried in the least about the future of Nebraska athletics. That's because of the never-ending flame. It's not Lincoln that's burning. It's my email inbox.

Contact the writer:

402-444-1025, tom.shatel@owh.com

twitter.com/tomshatelOWH

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