Monday Notebook

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

CINCINNATI -- Here are some tidbits to think about as we look back to last week and ahead to this week:

+ Atlanta was great, but not only from a football standpoint. I was born in Atlanta but haven't really spent any time there since I was 3. I went to my old street and after taking some pictures of my old house, said hello to a few neighbors who remembered me back when I was a baby. "Remember Jack and Nancy Wise?" was a question I asked a few people and got "Oh, yeah, right around the corner, I remember them," in reply. A few laughs followed. Pretty fun day.

+ Georgia Tech Sports Information Director Dean Buchan was the first guy to call me out -- deservedly so -- on the frequency of my calls and emails leading up to last week. But after a less-than-pleasant conversation at the beginning of the week, he gave me all the access I needed for mid-week interviews, and gave me a pretty good ticket for the game. Thanks Dean.

+ After I posted the Gameday Gallery in the wee hours of Sunday morning, I tried to go to bed at about 3 a.m., but my neighbors in the hotel room next door were just getting in and were wasted and way too loud. So I got about two hours of sleep before I had to wake up and hustle to the airport for my flight to Cincinnati. I hung with friends here all day Sunday and wasn't able to post, then slept late today and I feel like I'm all caught up on rest now.

+ A solid week awaits. Cincinnati is my alma mater and football SID Ryan Koslen says he should be able to meet my access requests. It's Homecoming week so I hope to see some old friends. And I've got a TV interview scheduled for Tuesday morning on the local FOX station. Details to follow.

+ Speaking of those Bearcats, No. 5 in the BCS? That's outstanding. The argument already starting to heat up is about whether Boise State and/or Cincinnati both run the tables in their respective conferences. Would either deserve a slot in the national championship game? Would one deserve it over another as opposed to both playing each other if they're the only unbeaten teams? This is part of what makes college football great: the unknown answers to the many interesting questions.