Yesterday, after supporting the parent company and seeing Rogue One, I swung over to get some award winning buffalo sauce at J Tim's. As I'm standing shoulder to shoulder with people in the bar I randomly hear three guys to my left talking about the Nebraska vs. Tennessee bowl game. Obviously my interest peaked and I listened in further.

You could tell all three guys bet a lot with how they were talking and I love to watch lines and see how movement works in Vegas, but have never been confident enough to bet the kid's college funds, so I usually do it vicariously through a couple of friends I have. Not the point ... so back to the story: one guy is going off about how confident he is that Nebraska is going to cover. Kept saying they were getting 6.5 points and he couldn't understand why. So, naturally, I butt in to tell him why he's wrong.

At first he just goes, "what do you know about the game?" I point to the "N" on my jacket and he asks, "what does that stand for?" and naturally I answer with the joke everyone used in college, "knowledge." He didn't get it and goes, "Newington? Is that what it is?" After explaining how he missed the joke, I said it was Nebraska and then his interest peaked. First in what I was doing in Connecticut and then how much I knew about the game.

I told him some main things like the senior starters at QB, WR and safety are all out and basically are all record holders at the school and that the starting RB, also a senior, was probably going to be out or at least limited. I explained my complete lack of faith in our backup quarterback, sorry if you stumble upon this post Ryker, and that there is a massive drop off between the two players. Just because of that, I said we'll lose by at least 7, meaning to lay the 6.5 on Tennessee, and told him I have been saying to everyone since the opening line of 3 points came out to bet their mortgages on it. The biggest point which I was trying to convey to him was that I will root until my throat is sore for Nebraska, however I'm extremely confident that they don't win ... or even keep it close.

After a casual chat on how dogs have been killing spreads this bowl season, it seemed to reaffirm to him how he didn't want to back off taking Nebraska. As I was just there to pick up my wing sauce, my conversation turned out to be a lot longer than expected and I had to break it off at some point, although I was having a blast talking to these guys about college football teams in a region where people only care about what Tom Brady ate for breakfast. I gave one final pitch as to why he should listen to me but he said Nebraska was too good of a team to lose by more than six points.

Fast forward to now as the game just ended. Tennessee won by 14. I hope that guy is thinking about our conversation because I've been telling people about it left and right since I had it. Oh yeah, one of those friends I live vicariously through made some money on listening to me about it too ... probably wasn't the mortgage, but still.