How to tell when the recession has really arrived

It isn't hard to justify Bo Pelini's new $1.851 million annual salary, a $751,000 raise from the $1.1 million he made in 2008.

The raise makes him only the seventh highest paid coach in the Big 12, up from 11th last year.

"When you compare B0's performance and experience with other coaches, he was certainly deserving of a significant salary increase," Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne said. The new contract also adds a year, through Feb. 28, 2014.

Yes, Nebraska lost four games last year -- one more than lost by Frank Solich just before he was fired -- but "We made significant progress in one year under Bo's leadership, and we are confident he has our program moving in the right direction," Osborne said.

In addition, Pelini's nine full-time assistants share a salary pool of $2 million, or an average of $222,222. a year.

Great salaries, yes, but fair when compared to the cash a winning football program brings to the University of Nebraska. No, the players who actually perform on the field don't officially share in the spoils, other than receiving an education and a slim chance at the pro's, but former Sen. Ernie Chamber's attempts, years ago, to pay the players were doomed from the start.

But we'll know the recession is real when it begins to affect the salaries of college football coaches.