Nebraska to the Gator Bowl?

With 3-8 Syracuse's upset this afternoon of 6-5 Notre Dame, you have to expect that Nebraska now jumps to the top of the Gator Bowl's wish list, as long as the Huskers take care of business against the Colorado Buffaloes next Friday. Everybody assumed that Notre Dame would beat the hapless Orangemen, and that a 7-5 Notre Dame would be attractive enough for a New Years Day bowl.

Now, for Notre Dame to finish 7-5, they have to upset USC in Los Angeles next weekend. So let's go ahead and presume a 6-6 finish for the Irish. That's good enough for the Sun Bowl, but the Gator Bowl pretty much laid it on the line for the Irish:

"At 7-5, they're still Notre Dame. We've never taken a five-loss team in our history, so there would be a lot of discussion," Gator Bowl president Rick Catlett said. "But I think with a victory over Syracuse this week Notre Dame is still very high on our list."

In other words... no way do the Irish play on New Years. So right now, it sure looks like Nebraska, Oklahoma State, or Missouri will be in Jacksonville for the Gator Bowl.