IRVING – Nobody in Nebraska red has complained too loudly about the Dallas weather or anything else this week.
The Cornhuskers aren't being polite. They are happy to be here. The AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic represents the road back for a program that for decades was viewed as one of the top dozen nationally.
Things have changed recently.
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AT&T Cotton Bowl
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10:30 a.m. Jan. 1 (Ch. 4)
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Teammates remember safety Jerrell Pippens looking around the Independence Bowl in 2002 and saying that it was nothing like the Rose Bowl. Two years later, the Cornhuskers missed a bowl altogether, ending a streak of 35 consecutive postseason appearances.
Now Nebraska has returned to New Year's Day. A win would give the Cornhuskers 10 victories for the first time under third-year coach Bill Callahan. A postseason victory could be a springboard to the Bowl Championship Series next season.
"You always want to be in a January 1 game," defensive back Cortney Grixby said. "It's one of those innate things for a football player."
Plus, Nebraska appreciates what the Cotton Bowl represents, despite a long absence. It hasn't been to Dallas since losing to Houston, 17-14, in 1980.
"It may not be a BCS bowl but I tell you what, it's a great bowl," Callahan said. "It's got tradition, pageantry."
He even briefed his local writers on Joe Montana and the ice, calling it "one of the most terrific bowl games in all of Notre Dame history."
Callahan's players don't remember 1979. They are aware of the Cotton Bowl, thanks to its longtime distinction as the opening act on New Year's Day.
"Always the early-morning game," Grixby said. "You'd wake up early. Your mom would do the after-Christmas shopping. I'd be there with my dad watching the games from 10 o'clock on."
Nebraska hasn't always viewed the Cotton Bowl as a destination of choice, one reason for the gap between appearances.
Fingers were pointed at former Nebraska athletic director Bill Byrne, now at Texas A&M. In 2000, he lobbied for an at-large BCS bid or a trip to San Diego's Holiday Bowl to avoid Dallas.
In a telephone interview, Byrne said the problem wasn't bad blood, just bad climate.
When Byrne was AD at Nebraska, a bowl trip was considered a birthright for everybody from North Platte to Omaha.
Early each season, Byrne surveyed Cornhuskers fans about their bowl preference.
The consensus from the chilly plains was Florida. Or California. Or Arizona. Just not Dallas.
Byrne said he sympathized with people who might have been snowbound for much of December.
He finally got a first-hand look at the Cotton Bowl when Texas A&M played in 2005.
Byrne called it "one of the best bowl experiences I've ever had."
Members of the Cotton Bowl board hadn't forgotten Byrne's comments and surprised him when he stepped off his plane. Fin Ewing III, then the Cotton Bowl chairman, jokingly told him that he was going to freeze his posterior off.
Byrne then received special gifts at the welcoming luncheon.
"They had a complete set of long underwear, a ski cap and every bit of winter apparel you could imagine," Byrne said.
They were all sized extra small.
Callahan says he likes the unexpected.
"You never know what the weather conditions are going to be," Callahan said. "It's kind of like Nebraska. In that respect, there's some commonality."
E-mail ccarlton@dallasnews.com
A look at Nebraska's three previous trips to the Cotton Bowl:
The setup: Nebraska and Houston entered with identical 10-1 records. Both were ranked in the top 10. Houston was making its third Cotton appearance in four years.
What happened: On fourth down, Houston backup QB Terry Elston found Eric Herring for a 6-yard TD pass with 12 seconds remaining. The Cougars held Nebraska junior RB Jarvis Redwine to 58 yards rushing.
The setup: Texas was making its sixth consecutive Cotton appearance. Nebraska coach Tom Osborne was looking for his first bowl victory.
What happened: Backup QB Steve Runty led Nebraska to two third-quarter touchdowns. The Cornhuskers limited Texas star FB Roosevelt Leaks to 48 yards on 13 carries.
The setup: Arkansas was unbeaten, ranked only behind Alabama. Nebraska was 9-1 and ranked sixth.
What happened: QB Fred Marshall led Arkansas on an 80-yard drive in the fourth quarter. Bobby Burnett ran 3 yards for the winning TD. The Razorbacks, who featured an assistant named Barry Switzer and players named Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson, claimed a version of the national title after Texas upset Alabama.
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