THE LATEST: ALAMO BOWL

First off, I just got home from a great trip--starting with a cruise out of Galveston and ending with an ALAMO BOWL win.

Here are a few things I learned.

1. Everywhere you go, there is one team that people like to make fun of. In Belize that team is Kansas State.
2. Michigan didn't waste their timeouts to get plays review. They CHOOSE to use them that way, and the system that requires them to do this is the Big 10 replay system. I am so sorry that Michigan was forced to play under such a terrible system.
3. The people you least want to see topless are the most likely to go topless.
4. Why on earth does NU has flag girls in the band that weigh north of 180? If the kid weighs that much, make them carry a tuba or something that puts them in a uniform fit for public viewing.
5. Sunbelt refs have no business in the Alamo Bowl. If you want to reward them, send them to a Div. II playoff game.
6. Lloyd Carr is right about the playoff system--hotel rooms sold should not be a factor in determining the post season rewards for college football players.
7. NU fans vs Mich fans? About 20:1.
8. Does anyone think Michigan could of scored again if they had another shot at the final play.
9. Why would anyone care about what ESPN says about the game.
10. What will the Pederson haters say now?

THE LATEST:
WHO CU ISN'T HIRING

1. Frank Solich
2. Rich Rodriguez
3. Anyone named Kiffin
4. Gary Patterson
5. Bo Pelini
6. Randy Edsall
7. Bo Ruud
8. Joe Glenn
9. Bill Snyder
10. Gary Pinkel
11. Turner Gill
12. Sonny Lubick
13. Kevin Steele
14. Greg Robinson
15. Bret Venables
16. Kevin Cosworth
17. Kevin Cosner
18. Houston Nutt
19. Some old 1/2 dozen NFL names
20. Anyone name Hnida

THE LATEST:
STEALING, LYING & CHEATING

PRINCE OF THIEVES: KSU's new Head Coach has been in the living room of a young man named JOSH FREEMAN. Allan Evridge must love this news.

IRS INTERESTED IN CU FOOTBALL CAMP: BARNETT is said to have left CU because of poor football performance and unaffected by the scandals that surrounded his program, but auditors couldn't make heads or tails of records they when through for the Barnett Football Camp. It's been reported that camp money was used to give cash gifts to coaches wives, $10,000 at a time. The problem is: then someone hands you a envelope full of cash instead of a check, there's often a reason they DIDN'T write the check, and that reason is never one that makes the IRS happy. Funny how it's always the IRS that gets mob bosses into trouble. Is Bugsy Barnett next?

THE LATEST:
GREATEST PRO HUSKER TO PLAY IN FINAL GAMES

WILL SHIELDS is arguably the greatest NFL player to ever play for NU. Yet he is perhaps even more highly regarded for his efforts off the field as he was named the 2003 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, the most prestigious accolade that can be bestowed upon an active player.

Now, I'm sure the media gurus at the LJS and OWH write a neat little feature praising Shields after his last game or in a few weeks when he earns his 11th straight Pro-Bowl trip. I thought it would be valuable to let you know just how great this Husker Academic All-American has become while you still have a chance to see him play in his final 4 games (plus playoffs, if any, plus a pro-bowl if his knees allow).

The SHIELDS FILE:

• 10 consecutive Pro Bowl appearances
• 203 career starts -- only Green Bay QB Brett Favre entered the 2005 campaign with a longer active starting streak than Shields' string dating back to the second contest of the 93 campaign
• Of the seven modern-era guards in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, only Oakland's Gene Upshaw (217) has played in more career games than Shields.
• 2003 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year
• Outland Trophy winner
• a rare three-time All-Big Eight choice
• first team All-America selection
• first player from the state of Oklahoma to play for the Huskers
• Holds a Communications degree from Nebraska
• Henry B. Iba Citizen-Athlete Award
• Philanthropists of the Year by the Kansas City Council of Philanthrophy in May of 2005
• Chiefs United Way spokesperson since 2003
• Established the Will to Succeed Foundation, which has developed a number of innovative programs and benefited more than 100,000 individuals
• 2001 NFL Good Guy of the Year by The Sporting News
• color commentary for local high school football games
• Married, wife Senia, one daughter, Sanayika (13), and two sons, Shavon (12) and Soloman (8)
• Received the inaugural Arthur S. Arkush Humanitarian of the Year Award presented by Pro Football Weekly in '99 which recognizes an NFL player whose contributions to the community and charitable causes are both outstanding and hands-on
• Board Member and volunteer to countless charities

Will Shields is likely to announce his retirement during the week of the Super Bowl, or he might be back for one more year with the Chiefs, but don't bet on it. So, with just 4+ games left, be sure to watch this living legend in action. People will talk about him for a long, long time and you can tell your kids that you remember seeing him pull and running 20 yards down field in front of the running back to make that key block.

Note to OWH and LJS: Feel free to act like it's your idea when you feature Shield on or about Dec. 20th when he gets invited to his 11th straight Pro-Bowl.

THE LATEST:
BARNETT GONE, BUT NOT DONE RECRUITING

In the 48 hours plus that it took for CU and Barnett to negotiate a surrender, the Denver Post and everybody else with a keyboard wrote that he was dead coach walking.

The problem for the Buffaloes and their fans, Barnett had days--and some suggest maybe weeks--is that Barnett (through his representation) had plenty of time to field calls from other schools and now that he's out at CU, he's a recruiting free agent.

Barnett is now without restrictions from the NCAA to talk to young men who want be D-1A college football players. When he gets a new job, which could be in weeks if he wants to move that fast, or if he plans to take a year off he'll the have high school juniors on his speed dial, and he'll bring to his next team a bushel of recruits with him.

Free Agent Coaches and they ability to recruit 24/7 is a problem for the NCAA. Cincinnati's former basketball coach, Bob Huggins is the best current example of the Free Agent Recruiter. Insiders confirm that at least 2 and as many a 5 top shelf D-1 prep basketball stars are ready to sign with Higgins, as soon a they know where he'll be employed, which isn't likely to be learned before March.

Fortunately for Barnett, the football coach hiring season is just beginning and he'll likely be wearing a sport coat that looks much better than the CU mustard he's been stuck in for the last 5 seasons.

THE LATEST:

MICHIGAN Not Impressed with Bowl Bid

There are some facts and myths that need to be dispelled about the moans and groans coming out the "mitten state".

1. In almost every bowl, one team is chapped because they feel they deserved better.
2. Michigan still sees themselves as the team that only lost to Penn State by 3....and Minnesota and Ohio State by 4 and Notre Dame by 7.
3. Michigan sees NU as the team that lost by a lot to Kansas and hasn't been to a bowl since who knows when.

Rest assured that the above list explains the feeling of Michigan fans, pundits and media talkers but don't expect Lloyd Carr to let his team feel this way. They will be ready and most folks believe NU will get crushed.

A sure sign that the folks who follow the Huskers are expected a beating is when you read or hear people say: No matter what happen in the bowl game, this year was a success.

Let me echo what the LJS recently wrote: No matter what happen in the bowl game, this year was a success.

THE LATEST:

K-State Just Saved a Ton of Money on Head Coaching Salary by Switching to Prince

The Wildcats will paid their new head coach Ron Prince (Purple Reign--There, we said it. Now it's been done, it's old, let's move on!) about half of what Bill Snyder earned before retiring last month. Before Snyder retired, 8 of the Big 12 head coaches were making over 1 million.

Prince's $750k will place him just above what Central Florida pays and in the bottom quartile of all BCS conference coaches.

Prince's new deal is worth just 3/4 of what Jim Leavitt just agreed to in choosing to stay at South Florida. Leavitt was long rumored to be KSU's first choice to replace Snyder, who coached as KSU since 1989 and lead them to their only Conference title in 2003. However in Snyder's final 2 seasons, KSU's conference record was just 4-12 with the Wildcats anchored in last place in the Big 12 North.

THE LATEST:
TEXAS by 67 over COLORADO in the Big 12 Championship=Black Eye for Brown & Company

Not everyone knows that Joel Klatt missed the team plane--home. His concussion required him to stay over night in Houston for observations.

Leading by 60 points, TEXAS blitzed their weakside linebacker who leveled Klatt with a helmet-to-head shot. Officially, it goes down as a QB hurry for Drew Kelson, TEXAS' #2 WLB. Unofficially, it's a black eye for Gene Chizik and the rest of the TEXAS coaching staff. Question for TEXAS coaches and supporters: what in the heck was the point of blitzing when up by 60?