If It's A Saturday In Late November, It Must Be Time To Talk About College Football

I've always loved college football. From growing up in Nebraska to graduating from Kansas (where I could cheer for Nebraska when they came to Lawrence) to living now the next city over from Boise State University, I've always been close to the game, but especially to the teams from KU, BSU, and above all NU. All three are in the news today.

The biggest news comes out of Lincoln, where Nebraska football messiah Tom Osborne fulfilled his destiny by firing the coaching staff after a horrible 5-7 season; the now-former Head Coach Bill Callahan had, in four years after being hired by former NU Athletic Director Satan, "led" the 'Huskers to their only 2 losing seasons since 1961. While many in Nebraska (including at least one whose diapers I used to change) are calling for the hiring of former NU Defensive Coordinator Bo "Sooner" Pelini, those who have a longer appreciation of 'Husker history and tradition know that 'Husker hero and current University of Buffalo Head Coach Turner Gill is the only honorable option for the job. (And although most people don't want to mention it, having an African-American head coach will surely help in bringing some talented players to Nebraska.) I'm sure Tom Osborne, who was Best Man at Turner's wedding, will make the right choice.

Here in Idaho, people are feeling deflated after Boise State lost the de facto WAC championship game to Hawai'i last night. I admire the BSU coach and many of the players, and am amused by many of the local fans who don't quite understand what real big-time football is all about. (For my Idaho readers who wonder what they're missing, compare the number of comments in the main local paper in-game thread for the NU-Colorado game vs. the BSU-UH game to see what high-level football is all about. For those who don't want to click, the comment count is currently at 875-43 -- plus over 550 comments on the NU site for the former HC's post-game remarks.)

Today's game between #2 Kansas and #4 Missouri marks the biggest-ever game in the "Border War". As the excellent article in this week's Sports Illustrated points out, these two fan bases really, really dislike each other; the hatred leads back to the Quantrill Raid on Lawrence by Missourians in the 1860s. While I still have a hard time believing KU is for real in football, I'd really like to see them kick Mizzou's butt. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!