The Good Life

I make it back to Nebraska maybe once or twice a year but typically it's a flight to Denver then a four hour drive to home and various other Panhandle locales. Rarely do I get to visit the populated side of the state but there couldn't be a better weekend to be here.

Flying through small city airports has to be one of the most underrated experiences out there. I bounced from Raleigh to Memphis to Omaha and the whole thing was a breeze. No lines, no need to leave hours ahead of time, I may never fly through a major city again.

I couldn't have asked for a better welcome to Nebraska moment then the one I received at the Thrifty rental counter. The employee there, desperate for the opportunity to actually work, jumped me about 15 feet from the counter. Seeing my Massachusetts license we eventually got around to the reason why I was in Omaha which lead to about a 10-minute discussion of Cornhuskers football.

This guy, who happened to share my surname, knew his stuff. Here's his highlight reel:

--Nebraska may be the most disparate team in the country when it comes to home versus road performance. That's Callahan's NFL nature. Survive on the road, conquer at home. I agree with this assessment. Mr. Thrifty says there's probably a 10-point differential between the Huskers in red and the Huskers in white but, after discussing this with m host for the weekend, we put the number closer to two touchdowns.

--By his estimation, only two Nebraska starters could crack the line-up at USC: Lucky and Suh. I can't really argue with that.

--Speaking of Suh, he was Mr. Thrifty's key to the game going up against USC's freshman center. Suh's a beast but I'll be awfully surprised if Nebraska is able to get any pressure up the middle. There's no doubt that O'Dowd's an accomplished player--he wouldn't be a Trojan otherwise--but it will be his first road game. It bears watching.

Eventually, I did get my rental car. Between breaking down where he would be tailgating on Saturday, Mr. Thrifty asked me "Is a PT Cruiser okay?" I asked if it happened to be red. "Actually it is." Fine. I present to you below, my chariot for the weekend:
I fully believe that this is a good omen. You may or may not be able to tell, but that photo was taken outside of my first stop on the Nebraska trip, Husker Hounds on 84th Street in Omaha.

I wasn't looking for much just something that was actually wearable. I had the opportunity to meet the crew from Big Red Network last week at Wake and Darren actually brought up the sad state of Husker merchandising, a view I've long held but I found an embarrassment of riches at Husker Hounds.

Now, I'm a hat guy. I've looked long and hard for a red hat with a simple, sans-serif, white 'N'. The same 'N' that appears on the helmets. Finally I found it, but there was an even bigger coup awaiting me: a Nebraska hat with the old, overalled Herbie Husker. Should Nebraska lose on Saturday I may force myself to forget the game, but I will always remember it as the weekend I found the holy grail.

I am taking this as a good omen as well. This seems to be a theme.

After a two-hour trip to Hastings on I-80, I think I had to hit the brakes maybe twice, listening to non-stop Husker talk I was ready to play the game myself. As you can see at the top of the post, Husker Hounds is predicting a close NU win. I was more skeptical coming in, but the longer I spent in my scarlet chariot with my new headwear the more I began to believe.

In the two days since I arrived, the weather has began to cool. It feels like fall and everywhere I've been the corn looks good.

Again, that's gotta be a good sign.

USC 17 Nebraska 28.