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Nebraska Football: Huskers announce Mike Riley contract extension

By Matthew Bartlett

LINCOLN, NE - DECEMBER 5: Mike Riley, newly hired head football coach at the University of Nebraska, talks with members of the media during a press conference inside Memorial Stadium December 5, 2014 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Eric Francis/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE - DECEMBER 5: Mike Riley, newly hired head football coach at the University of Nebraska, talks with members of the media during a press conference inside Memorial Stadium December 5, 2014 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Eric Francis/Getty Images) /
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Fresh off a rather disappointing loss to Oregon, it was announced that Nebraska football head coach Mike Riley had received a one year contract extension.

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It’s not often that your boss rewards you for failures, but that’s what happened to Nebraska head man Mike Riley this weekend. Riley, 16-12 in his first two plus years at Nebraska, was announced to be a recipient of a one year contract extension on Monday.

Nebraska President Hank Bounds weighed in, lauding Riley and expressing his confidence in him as the man for the Huskers going forward:

"I have great confidence in Mike, to extend his contract to four years. I expect us to compete, and I have every confidence that we’ll extend it again in December. If you look across the landscape, contract lengths are all over the place — from three years to a much longer term. It was prudent at this time, as a signal, to show to everyone our support of Mike."

Was this a good decision, or not?

Riley’s previous contract ran through 2019. This most recent extension keeps him in Nebraska for one more year, through 2020. Is Bounds serious about extending him even further than that? Former Nebraska player Adam Carriker expressed his concerns about the decision on Twitter.

Whether or not keeping hold of Riley further into the future is a good idea remains to be seen. The Nebraska fanbase has high expectations, and Riley’s time with the Huskers is more dependent on winning than an official piece of paper. He wouldn’t be the first man to sign an extension and be asked to leave in short order.

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The Huskers (1-1) host Northern Illinois in Week 3 before opening Big Ten play against Rutgers the following weekend. Riley’s squad has the benefit of playing in the West, but also draws Penn State and Ohio State in 2017. A win against either of those squads could cool a flames approaching his seat for some while.

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