The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Bill Callahan

Followed Frank Solich. Bill Callahan inherited a Blue Blood Nebraska and won with it.

27–22

2004–2007 · 1 stint

Career arc

His real stature score, season by season, across every program he’s coached — so a stretch that stays in one tier the whole way can still climb or sink on the line, not just flatten out. Node color marks the tier reached. Which program a stretch belongs to is carried by the shaded lane behind it.

Reached Blue Blood in his 1st career season — faster than 59% of the 100 FBS coaches who have ever reached Blue Blood (rank #1 of 100 by seasons-to-arrival).

Nebraska, 4 seasons

−10.4

Blue Blood → Blue Blood.

The big-game ledger

How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.

2–2 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Bob Stoops.

Rivalry record

2–2

50.0% · 1 rival

One-score games

10–8

55.6% · margin ≤8

vs. Blue Blood or better

1–7

12.5%

Rivalry ledger

Colorado2–250%

The toughest matchup

vs. Bob Stoops0–3

3 meetings, 2004–2006

’04 L’05 L’06 L

0% win rate across a real, 3-meeting series — short of the bar this site uses before badging a series “Nemesis.” Shown here as the toughest matchup on record, not an algorithmic crown.

Performance by opponent class

Blue Blood

1–7 12.5%

Power Program

6–5 54.5%

National Program

5–8 38.5%

Regional Program

12–2 85.7%

Coaching career

2004–2007

Nebraskainheritor

Blue Blood → Blue Blood

Bill Callahan inherited a Blue Blood Nebraska and won with it.

4th-best Nebraska tenure of 18 by the numbers.

Followed Frank Solich (1998–2003).

20 NFL Draft picks: Demorrio Williams (2004), Jammal Lord (2004), Josh Sewell (2004), Ryon Bingham (2004), Trevor Johnson (2004), Fabian Washington (2005), Barrett Ruud (2005), Josh Bullocks (2005) + 12 more

27–22