Monday, 8:26 p.m.: Little busy the last two days, so my apologies for the tardiness of the Never-Too-Early-To-Talk-Bowls primer:

After huddling in the Texas A&M press box with two bowl officials who shall remain anonymous and various Texas sports writers who you wouldn't know anyway, here's my early, early assessment for Nebraska.

Phoenix. Or Phoenix.

The first scenario's easy. Nebraska gets to the Big 12 championship game and wins. The Huskers are in the Fiesta Bowl (the JV Fiesta this year, with the BCS title game a week later at same site) Jan. 1 at Glendale, Ariz., to be exact.

The rest is a bit trickier. Play along, please. I'll try and go slow.

If NU goes to the Big 12 title game and loses, a lot of folks will assume Cotton Bowl on Jan. 7 vs. SEC. Not a bad thought. With the Huskers heading for the Big Ten after this season and new bowl possibilities, this is the last call for Big Red for Cotton and Alamo Bowls. And NU fans are always welcome in Texas.

Here's why I don't think that's automatic and, in fact, unlikely.

The Cotton is weary of taking the Big 12 title game loser because it would have to drag itself back to the same stadium four weeks later. The Jerry Dome is cool and all, and you can't beat Cotton hospitality. But two games in the same stadium in a month's time can be a hard sell for fans. The Cotton knows that. That's why Oklahoma State was their No. 1 choice all along last year with Texas-NU in the title game.

Thursday night could be big for the Cotton. If Texas A&M beats Texas, the Cotton could jump on the 9-3 Aggies, with their six-game win streak. Hot story. Excited fans. Good, ol' former Southwest Conference team for that 75th anniversary Cotton Bowl. Makes a lot of sense. I would bet on this happening, if A&M wins.

The only rub is that if Arkansas is the SEC team, A&M already played Arkansas this year — in Cowboys Stadium, in fact.

We'll know more about that later this weekend, after Arkansas-LSU play. The loser of that SEC West tilt could be headed to the Cotton. And LSU could end up in a BCS bowl (Orange or Sugar) depending on Auburn.

If Texas beats the Aggies, I would expect Oklahoma to get a long, hard look by the Cotton. Or, if the Cotton has to take Arkansas. Again, if NU goes to the Big 12 title game, that will be the Huskers' third trip to that stadium in 13 months. Would Nebraska fans go back again so soon? Big gamble, it says here. Especially if the opponent is Arkansas.

So, if A&M goes to the Cotton, the Alamo (Dec. 29) is next up. San Antonio loves the Huskers, right? And it's reciprocal. NU is 5-0 in the Alamodome and won its two Big 12 titles there. Red on the Riverwalk. You know the drill.

The thing is, the Alamo has never had Oklahoma. Ever. Good fit. But the hang-up would be the opponent. It's Pac-10 now. The Pac-10 is a little light on eligible teams. It's likely either Stanford or Arizona for San Antonio, depending on BCS stuff and whether Stanford or Boise State is in the Rose Bowl. That's a whole other blog explaining that deal.

Either way, OU would be squeamish about playing Stanford again (they met in the Sun Bowl last year) and Bob Stoops has been adamant about not facing brother Mike (Arizona coach), though OU has told bowl people that it would do so if necessary, it just didn't want it to be a contrived, set-up game.

Again, judging from early talks with bowl folks, if OU loses to Okie State in Bedlam this Saturday, I think the Alamo would take the Sooners over the Huskers. The Stoops-Stoops match-up is too attractive as a big TV draw and sure sell-out. And don't forget, NU and Arizona met last year in the Holiday.

If OU wins this weekend, Oklahoma State could go to the Alamo. But a lot would depend on if it's Arizona on the other end and whether NU would want to play Arizona again. And vice versa. If it's Stanford, then Nebraska-Stanford would be good for the Alamo folks. But so would Stanford-OSU. That will be an interesting decision, if it comes to that. My money now is on OU in the Alamo.

Who's next? Insight Bowl (Holiday Bowl dropped behind Insight in pecking order), in Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Ariz., on Dec. 28. You can stop right here. The Insight is run by the Fiesta Bowl. John Junker and the Diablos would do anything to have Nebraska back, in either bowl. The Huskers haven't been to the desert since Charlie McBride's swan song against Tennessee in 1999.

Who waits for NU there? A Big Ten opponent. Probably Michigan, maybe Iowa, but likely maize and blue. Taylor Martinez vs. Denard Robinson. Early Big Ten preview. Great, great stuff. In Nebraska's old playpen, Sun Devil Stadium.

That's my best guess right now. Let's see what happens with A&M-Texas and OSU-OU this weekend. And, of course, Nebraska-Colorado. Though, a Husker loss on Friday would likely cement NU in the Insight.

Stay tuned. I'll post another update next Sunday, when we have more puzzle pieces to work with.

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