Tom Osborne Hires Self at Nebraska; Will he drop "interim" tag?

For the moment at least, it's the return of a golden era in Nebraska football.

Following Bill Callahan's dismissal, the state's favorite Cornhusker made a bold move. Tom Osborne named himself interim coach, ostensibly to kick-start the recruiting process for whoever he'll name as Callahan's successor.

So far, Tom Osborne has interviewed Turner Gill (Buffalo head coach), Bo Pelini (LSU defensive coordinator), and Jim Grobe (Wake Forest head coach). Pelini -- who served as Nebraska's interim coach after Frank Solich's firing in 2003 and led the Huskers to an Alamo Bowl victory -- would seem to be the front runner among the names publicly mentioned.

But Nebraska fans have to be asking themselves, What if? In 25 seasons in Lincoln, Osborne won 255 games and captured three national titles. When the Cornhuskers weren't in the hunt for a national title, they were at least a force to be reckoned with.

After a season in which the Huskers became a laughingstock, a remedy for struggling offenses, Nebraska fans have to be craving a blast from the past.

Osborne has been strangely mum on the possibility of giving himself the nod for the full-time position. If he wasn't at least entertaining the idea, wouldn't he be a little more vocal about it? As in, "I know what you all are thinking, but it isn't going to happen because the wife said so"?

Speaking of Mrs. Osborne, if Tom is considering a comeback, can you imagine the conversations they must be having right about now?

For more on Tom Osborne and Nebraska football...
Osborne names self interim coach (AP, via Yahoo! sports)
Is Tom Osborne the next Nebraska coach? (Kevin Donahue at Fanblogs.com)