…as I pack for New York.

– The exhibition game with CBU went about as expected, though 90-35 was somewhat surprising since CBU has some experience and has played Memphis tougher than that in years past. Most everybody got what they needed to get out of that game. Joey Dorsey got a tuneup after missing the first two games and made a difference in the paint. Chris Douglas-Roberts got back to making plays and finishing layups. Antonio Anderson had more pep defensively. Shawn Taggart had a good night, getting some rebounds and scoring when they posted him up. Derrick Rose went five assists with no turnovers. Willie Kemp and Doneal Mack made 3-pointers. The only guy who didn’t show up was Robert Dozier, whose inconsistency continues to baffle. Sure, it was an exhibition. But Dozier should have had enough pride to do more than go through the motions. Dozier can look like a pro at times (we saw it in last year’s NCAA Tournament), but last night was discouraging.

– The four coaches involved in the 2k College Hoops Classic semifinals were available to the media Tuesday on a teleconference. Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel had some interesting comments on Memphis.

“A lot of people will sometimes look at Memphis and the makeup of their team and unfairly assume that they’re a selfish group that doesn’t play well together, that guys are trying to get stats,” he said. “But if you really sit down and watch them with unbiased eyes, you see how selfless they are, how they share the ball, their spacing is so good. You see a team.”

Also, John Calipari was asked about the possibility of playing old rival Jim Calhoun if Memphis and Connecticut both make it to the championship game. The only interesting thing he said was, “I have respect for their program and the things they do. They recruit nationally, can you imagine, to Storrs, Connecticut?” If you were so inclinced, knowing the history between Calhoun and Calipari, you could take that comment as a nice little slap at UConn. But maybe I’m crazy.

With the modern firearms deer season opening this weekend, a lot of folks will be wondering where to take their deer for checking, processing or taxidermy.

Here’s a list of availbale check stations in west Tennessee.

If your county is missing, just let me know and I’ll add it.

Fayette County
Hardeman County
McNairy County
Obion County
Tipton County
Dyer County
Henry County
Madison County

THE BIG STORY

Mississippi State fans, know this about AT&T Cotton Bowl president Rick Baker: He has a cowbell in his office.

“It’s an official Mississippi State Bulldog cowbell,” Baker told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. “We have great memories and great feelings for Mississippi State.”

That bell comes from 1999, when State made its first-ever appearance in the Cotton Bowl. And following Mississippi State’s 17-12 win over Alabama Saturday at Scott Field, there’s a chance that bell could be getting a twin. Assuming wins in its final two games - starting Saturday against Arkansas in Little Rock - an 8-4 Mississippi State team could be in the thick of the conversation to represent the Southeastern Conference against the Big 12 on New Year’s Day in Dallas.

Farfetched? Not at all. Baker said Mississippi State is back on a crowded board for this year’s bowl, which projects a $3 million payout to each school.

“This is such a crazy year that we just don’t know what’s going to be available to us as we look past the next few weeks,” Baker said.

At least one Cotton Bowl representative will be at Saturday’s game. A Cotton Bowl berth would likely be the best-case scenario for Mississippi State after Saturday’s win noticeably improved its upward mobility in the SEC bowls’ pecking order. If the Bulldogs (6-4, 3-3 SEC) beat Arkansas Saturday and Ole Miss on Nov. 23, they would finish 8-4.

With the Cotton Bowl’s historic preference to take a Western Division team, State’s main competition would likely be whichever team won on Nov. 24 between Alabama and Auburn. That team would also finish 8-4 and would have a loss to State on its resume. Perhaps most importantly, Auburn played in the Dallas bowl after last season and Alabama played in it following the 2005 season. Bowls have been known to shun teams that have recently played in their game for fear of fans not wanting to make the same trip in back-to-back years.

That rosy picture, though, is predicated on the Southeastern Conference landing two spots in the Bowl Championship Series-affiliated bowls. LSU (No. 1) and Georgia (No. 9) are possible BCS representatives. It’s also predicated on the Cotton Bowl not wanting to take an Eastern Division team, which it has only done twice since starting its SEC affiliation during the 1998 season. That could happen if the Outback Bowl were to take the Alabama-Auburn winner and leave, perhaps, Tennessee as State’s main competition for the berth. Tennessee last played in the Cotton Bowl after the 2004 season.

A look at the league:
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As Memphis has made its remarkable turnaround from a 2-4 start that included two losses to mediocre Sun Belt teams and a lopsided loss to Conference USA member UCF, bowl projections are being updated.

Most have the Tigers playing in New Orleans, where the U of M met North Texas in the 2003 game that snapped a 32-year bowl drought.

Some have the Tigers playing in Birmingham, where, with the Big East sending its No. 5 team to play a C-USA team. It wouldn’t be a stretch for bowl officials to have Memphis playing Louisville in a renewal of the former C-USA rivalry.

ESPN.com projects Memphis playing in the Texas Bowl in Houston against the Big 12’s Oklahoma State.

While a C-USA East Division title is unlikely with UCF being the division’s lone one-loss team, Memphis, at 4-2 in the league, isn’t mathematically out of it. But UCF would have to lose its final two games — the Knights play at SMU Saturday and at home against UTEP next weekend — and East Carolina would have to drop its finale, at home, against Tulane.

Even in a strange, unpredictable, offensive-laden, defensive-challenged conference, that’s a stretch.

It’s strange that a month ago, after the 2-4 start, and two weeks ago, after the U of M’s 56-40 loss at home to East Carolina, few thought this team was headed to the postseason. With two regular-season games left (at home against 2-8 UAB and 1-9 SMU), it seems as if it’s no longer a question of if, but where.