One of the big rumors that has circulated around the Cotton Bowl festivities is that Jeff Long, the Arkansas athletic director, had some preliminary talks with Missouri about playing a non-conference game.

Even though the Tigers are joining the SEC they are in the East, at least for a year, the teams had the right to play an non-conference game.

The thought apparently was to replace Texas A&M, also a member of the SEC this summer but is now a conference game for the Razorbacks, with Missouri in Cowboys Stadium.

It seems now that the details could not be worked out and Long is still looking for the final non-conference game for next season.

Wednesday night was a Back to the ’80s party, sponsored by Dr Pepper, for the Cotton Bowl, Arkansas and Kansas State officials, as well as selected others, including the media.

As soon as I walked in the lobby of the Hilton Anatole I ran into friends Rob and Jill Jolly, who were attending something akin to a Razorbacks pep rally.

Rob is a University of Arkansas graduate and Jill graduated from Texas, but has become one of the biggest Razorback fans ever.

They don’t miss Razorbacks football festivities.

Then I saw Larry Graham and Johnny Burnett, who run the circulation department of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. They are in town to deliver the newspaper to several hotels where Razorback fans are staying.

The party was nice, as is everything the Cotton Bowl does, but I didn’t stay long. My wife Rachel is under the weather and not making the trip and it just wasn’t as much fun without her.

Admittedly, she tried to figure out a way to get to the game and on to the BCS Championship with me but she needs to rest now. Yes, she is improving but this is is the longest we have been apart since we married, and it is an adjustment.

There is another party tonight, a Diamond and Denim deal, and I need to make an appearance but it just won’t be the same without Rachel.

Over the years I’ve covered numerous bowls, more than I really like to count, including all of the Bowl Championship Series Bowls.

The best run, in order, are the Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Sugar Bowl (this year’s Sugar doesn’t count yet since it isn’t until Monday).

Rick Baker, president of the Cotton Bowl, Charlie Fiss, vice president for communications and a University of Arkansas graduate and Michael Konradi, vice president of external affairs, do a great job.

Not only of organizing and keeping everything moving forward, but of making everyone feel warm and welcome.

They make coaches, teams, officials and the media feel more like they are attending a family reunion that is celebrating a successful football season than playing in a great game.

People like Cathy Luetje, Laura Talley, Peter Irwin and James Smith, also a UA grad, make the media feel like it is a big party in their honor. Yet they understand that our jobs can be tedious at times.

It isn’t easy covering a bowl game when you work from 8:30 until 2:15 covering press conferences and don’t start writing until after that, but those folks make it just a little easier.

Flying in here on Monday my plane went over the old Cotton Bowl, a grand old lady but a tired one, too, and it made me glad the Cotton Bowl is now being played in Cowboys Stadium, but it left me with a question:

How can the BCS be the best and not have a game in the world’s greatest football stadium?