Bowl Pickin

Even after what, 37 some odd years, I certainly can't imagine why anyone would have anything against Yoko Ono, can you???

I love being in the College Bowl pools that make you do the whole confidence picks, as in ranking each game with your highest level of who you just KNOW is going to win down to who you're taking a rim shot on. And seriously, this year, is anyone NOT picking Texas with their top pick? I mean, they're playing IOWA, right? Yes, sports fans, they are, in the ALAMO Bowl. In Texas. That's my top pick. I also like Rutgers. A LOT, even though most of the world won't be able to watch this game because it's on...The NFL Network??? Somewhere, James Gandolfini is really pissed. Lucky for him I'm sure he'll be an honorary captain for the game, like he was for Rutgers last year.

Coming in 3rd in the confidence picks is Auburn. This was almost my #1 pick. Ordinarily, I'd go to my old, "Don't bet against Callahan with time on his hands to prepare for a game" speech right here. But now I'm not even sure that NU officials have convinced Billy C that he's actually got a game on New Year's Day. At 10 AM CST. I'm thinking he thinks this is some big joke. Seriously, Billy C has already hung his hat on that big old Big 12 North Championship Trophy. He's moved on, recruiting as many quarterbacks as he can find. If he really does find his way on a plane come December 26th to get ready to play Auburn, I'm sure he'll look at it as some great recruiting trip, and a way to game plan for Bo Jackson. I'm thinking that sometime yesterday, somebody had to tell Steve Pederson that he needed to sit Billy C down and say, "You know, we've got one more game left, you know this, right? It's on January 1st, so on New Year's Eve, when you break it gently to Cosgrove that he's not coming back next year over Dirty Martini's at Jimmy Johnson's favorite restaurant, remember that we've got to be at the stadium at like 7am the next day."

I'm telling you, Callahan is dumbfounded by all of this. After spending an entire year of doing nothing but saying, "Our goal is to win the Big 12 North. Our goals are still intact. That's it, that's the list. Nothing more. Gosh what a quality opponent we just played," I can't imagine how he's getting up for actually having to play one more game. Not after losing out on a big payday that he would have gotten for going to a BCS game in just his third year. Not after 70,000 some folks with Nebraska addresses made that drive down to Kansas City on the first Saturday of this month, all with ideas of winning a conference title and booking a trip to Arizona for the Holidays. Not after his boy (and I guess mine for as much as I talked about him) Zac Taylor threw those four picks on that chilly Kansas City night. Plus there's this added wrinkle: EVERYONE, including Stevie P, was hoping that Arkansas got to the Cotton Bowl, which would have given everyone in Nebraska excitement if only because it would have dredged up those old "We almost had Houston Nutt as our Head Coach" thoughts. That game, Stevie P would have made damn sure Billy C cared about in a big way. Now, they've got a great Auburn team a lot of folks, including Beano Cook, picked in the preseason as a National Championship contender.

And frankly that's what Billy C has on the brain: HIS National Championship contender for next year, with his one chance at the title in QB Sam Keller. He could give two shits about Auburn or the Cotton Bowl. In fact, make Auburn your #1 confidence pick. Auburn 35, NU 17.