I still had the ticket stub to prove it and I thought the memories were real, but there was a time when I couldn't be sure I had attended the 2005 Holiday Bowl at all. Eventually, the NCAA overturned it's previous ruling and allowed Oklahoma to keep it's 2005 records. They gave me back my memories, so now I'm going to share them with you...

Before I ever decided to come to the University of Kansas, and before anyone ever heard of a car dealership that pays you thousands of dollars for doing nothing, I saw Rhett Bomar's last moment in the sun.

In high school, I had the decision to continue with chorus (where I sang tenor) or continue with band (where I played the tuba). As a nerd, this was a tough choice. What it boiled down to, however, was the school trip.

Our chorus, band and orchestra took trips once every three years. Orchestra went on a cruise, chorus never knew until six months beforehand and band went to a bowl game. Not only that, but they got to pick which one. That settled it.

It was great, because it worked out that my senior year would be the band trip, and what better way to kiss off high school than missing class for college football.

A year before the trip, we put a committee together to decide which game to go to, and I, of course, was on it. I lobbied hard for the Rose Bowl (in hindsight, I think everyone would have been deeply grateful to me for seeing that titanic USC-Texas clash) but it came down to the Outback Bowl or the Holiday Bowl.

As it turned out, we had 11 people on the committee who voted 5-to-5 before it came to me. I had been to Florida once before, and the chance of seeing Iowa play was too great, so I made the decision for over 100 people to travel west to San Diego.

I was psyched about the Oklahoma-Oregon match-up when it was announced (and even more excited when I heard 50 Iowa fans complain that we weren't going to see them play in the Outback Bowl, Ha!).

The Ducks (10-1) had a lot of players I didn't know yet, including young studs Jonathan Stewart and Dennis Dixon. The Sooners (7-4) had slumping sophomore Adrian Peterson and freshman quarterback Rhett Bomar.

For a week we were out in San Diego, practicing for the halftime routine, seeing the sights and meeting a few cheerleaders (<----), but all I could think about was the game. In the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot before the game, I elbowed my way to the front of our the line to get tickets from our teacher. I nabbed four front row seats for me and a few friends.

We sat behind the OU bench, which turned out great because about mid-way through the first quarter I spotted Toby Keith standing on the sidelines in full Canadian Tuxedo attire.

I cheered for Oklahoma, but really just wanted to see a good game. It went back-and-forth, forth-and-back. Our halftime show was probably the best one ever, in case you were wondering.

While Peterson continued his frustrating year by failing to break through to the secondary, Bomar looked very impressive for a freshman. He completed 17-of-30 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown. With 33 seconds left and clinging to a 17-14 lead, Oklahoma linebacker Clint Ingram picked off a Brady Leaf pass to end the game and send the Sooners out victorious.

Bomar was named MVP of the game, and his future in Norman looked brighter than a sparkling new car. Then, everything went wrong.

In August 2006, about the time I came to the Lawrence campus, the NCAA discovered that Bomar and offensive Lineman J.D. Quinn were getting paid for hours they didn't work at Big Red Sports and Imports. At the time, the dealership was run by a large donator to OU.

Coach Bob Stoops dismissed both men from the team. Just like that, the former No. 1 recruit and bowl MVP was a quarterback without a home.

Bomar eventually found his way to Sam Houston State and enjoyed a modestly successful 2007 season. He completed 59 percent of his passes for 2,209 yards and 10 touchdowns, while also rushing for 406 yards and seven scores.

Still, nothing could compare to what he had. Oklahoma struggled at first in 2006, but Stoops was quick to rid his team of any memories of Bomar and the next season brought in freshman Sam Bradford.

While the Sooners now look poised to win the Big 12, Bomar must settle for one more Big 12 game. Today's final score won't be close, and Bomar will struggle because there isn't any talent around him.

Still, it's got to feel a little nice for the man who once had the Big 12 in his palm to capture that big stage feeling again, if only for a second. And who knows, maybe I'll find my way down to the field at halftime, slip into the crowd of over 30 high school bands and strap on the sousaphone for old time's sake.