My hands are shaking and stomach tumbling, must be time for a Nebraska game. It never used to be like this. Things were boring, conference dominance almost expected, by 1997 there was almost only potential for disappointment. If Nebraska won, well good that's what they were supposed to do. My how things have changed.

The Bugeaters are back in a bowl one year after Billy C. and the boys severed a 37 year streak of bowl appearances. ESPN just went to a live look-in, and it looks like the Sea of Red has flooded south en masse for the game, which is good. But then there was Michigan, looking entirely amused at the number of Husker fans in attendance. I'm already nervous.

I've settled on tonight's wardrobe for the game, after an afternoon of intense deliberation. I've got the Huskers flag hanging in my window 30-feet above one of Boston's busiest streets. I'm sporting some Nike NU shorts and the grungy hat that has gotten me through the lean years. I went with the vintage, 1984 Orange Bowl shirt to start. Nevermind that Nebraska famously lost that game, they lost in a good way with Dr. Tom going for two when all he needed was a tie to secure the National Title.

But that was a secondary concern, the real reason I went with the '84 Orange Bowl togs was that it featured the old Herbie Husker. Herbie was decommissioned as an official Husker logo in the mid-90's against fears that he might seem a little hokey. With his pleasantly plump Scandinavian-immigrant looks, bib overalls with an ear of corn in the pocket, and toothy grin, it's understandable that the Department of Athletics went another direction. But those are all the reasons I love that logo, so I went on an Internet search and rescue for any Herbie merch I could find. After all that, it's gotta be lucky.

Fun Alamo Bowl Fact: This was the only bowl to offer the Xbox 360 as a gift for players. My friend, the Yun' Ball Coach, who is intimately connected with the program, informed me that perhaps the only reason the Rattlesnake Boys were able to overcome K-State and become bowl eligible was the promise of next-generation gaming.

Also hot off the Yun' Ball Coach wire, rumor has it that Texas A&M and TCU may be violating the NCAA omerta and ratting on the Huskers for recruiting violations. I don't know the validity of this claim, but if it turns out to be true, it could end the Callahan era early. I don't understand, the Horned Frogs are currently better than the Huskers, they should be happy they're losing guys to the corn belt.

Right now I'm watching Boise State trying to overcome BC on the smurf turf. I'm quite pleased that the Eagles opted for the all-maroon uniforms and the Broncos all-white, eliminating the camoflauge effect that capsizes road teams in NCAA 2006. Maybe it's just me, but whenever I watch a game in Boise, I have an irresistible urge to lick the playing surface. I don't know if I think it possesses magical powers, or if it just looks like it would taste good. Perhaps I'm going crazy with the weary blues from waitin'...