I’m the only member of the Kansan’s Orange Bowl entourage who remains in Florida to soak in the weather, which returned to normal Floridian conditions yesterday.

I traveled back to the other side of the coast to visit family in Tampa and attend the Buccaneers' playoff game Sunday. Now that Jayhawk nation has had a day to reflect on what happened Thursday, the culmination to a truly magical season, I figured a few parting notes needed to be written.

-For everyone who watched SportsCenter or saw a clip of Kansas’ post-game press conference and wondered, ‘What in the heck is with Reesing’s hat?’, here’s the sophomore quarterback’s explanation.

“I saw one of my buddies that came up from Austin in the stands and he threw me the hat because he bought it when he came up to watch a game this year,” Reesing said. “So I threw him my hat. We made a switch.”

There you have it. Reesing wasn’t planning a late night fishing excursion in Miami, after all.

-When did I know the on-the-field celebration had gotten completely out of control? That was probably when I found myself dodging oranges from the hands of Kathleen Sebelius. Sebelius rushed to the stage with coach Mark Mangino and cornerback Aqib Talib and started tossing oranges in every direction. It was one of the bizarre yet surreal moments that I won’t soon forget.

-The two Jayhawk first team All-Americans will hold a press conference as early as next week to announce whether they will return to college or enter the NFL draft next season. Those players are Aqib Talib and junior tackle Anthony Collins. Talib and Collins have said more than once that they would make their decision together. Talib is expected to be a first-round draft pick while Collins would likely be picked in a middle round.

-Now that the football players don’t have practice to worry about everyday, how will they spend their extra time? Well, probably about the same way most students at Kansas do: following the basketball team. Sophomore strong safety Justin Thornton, who intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter against Virginia Tech, said he thought the basketball team could win it all.

“We got a shot at basketball every year, we stay ready on the basketball court. They’re doing a good job so far,” Thornton said. “It’ll be fun to watch them progress the rest of the season.”

-As deserving as Aqib Talib was for receiving the Orange Bowl MVP, junior outside linebacker Mike Rivera couldn’t have been far behind. Rivera recorded a game-high 9.5 tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack. He single-handedly stalled multiple Virginia Tech drives with big stops. Hokie freshman quarterback Tyrod Taylor may specifically remember Rivera because he put two of the biggest hits of the night on Taylor. With Rivera, Joe Mortensen and James Holt all juniors, the Kansas linebacking corps could be one of the nation’s elite next season.

“The LBs went up there and tore it up,” Rivera said. “We performed really well together and we’re definitely a force to be reckoned with.”

National Championship Prediction: LSU 28, Ohio State 20

Because I’m undefeated in bowl game predictions made on this blog, I figured I had to finish it off with my championship thoughts. The Tigers are a much better team but there’s no way the Buckeyes can be embarrassed for the second year in a row. Ohio State linebackers James Laurinatis and Marcus Freeman will slow Louisiana State’s rushing efficiency. But with Tiger receiver Early Doucet completely healthy, expect him to serve as the game-changer.

The Orange Bowl is over, and Kansas is headed home as the unlikely champion and even more unlikely rags-to-riches story in college football this season. The game was great in every way, from the enthusiastic crowd to the comfy stadium to the high level of coaching and play showcased on the field. I have a feeling many a Jayhawk fan is smiling on his or her way back from south Florida with the knowledge that Kansas shocked the world, the television pundits and the Virginia Tech Hokies while putting the finishing touches on a season to remember.

For the most ...

MIAMI — A grey sky is hovering over Dolphin Stadium, where the vibrant colors of the seats radiate because of their emptiness.

Only a handful of early bird television reporters and ZZ Top, the halftime performers, stagehands have found their way to the field. But outside the stadium in the 59 degrees weather, a sea of fans cloaked in either blue or maroon fill the tailgating area.

They’ve still got 40 minutes before the doors open. Then, this quiet oasis transforms into a piercing battleground. This is the site of the 74th annual FedEx Orange Bowl.

From the press box, ...

I spent New Year’s Eve on South Beach and definitely wasn’t the only one with that plan. As tempting as Dwyane Wade and Kevin Federline’s party or Kim Kardashian’s mansion bash was, I passed on the opportunities and engaged in a more quiet evening at an overpriced Italian restaurant and on the beach.

South Beach was just how I pictured it: Majestic, overcrowded, exciting and filled with dudes with greased back hair and half-buttoned solid-colored shirts. But I have nothing to complain about because it was far and away the best place I’ve ever celebrated the end of a year. ...

For everyone out there who thinks it would be super-cool to make the trip to the Orange Bowl as a part of the Kansas Jayhawk football squad:

The Jayhawks' curfew on New Year's Eve is 12 midnight. Meaning they have to be safely in their (plush) hotel by the time the ball drops on the eastern seaboard.

Even with the early curfew, being a KU footballer wouldn't be too shabby during bowl week. Sure, the practices are tough and conditions are muggy, but there isn't any ice on the beach and there aren't many clouds in the sky here in ...

Between all of the hanging out on the beach, strolling through the happening streets of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and jollying in the “Orange Bowl Media Hospitality Suite” (they’ve got some tasty pretzels in that place), us members of the media actually do have to “work” from time to time.

Much of that work is time spent interviewing players and coaches; prying nuggets of knowledge from fellow college kids who are sometimes nervous, often weary and usually repeating frustratingly rote responses spoon-fed to them by coaches and higher-ups who want to avoid any controversial newspaper clippings.

But gathering quotes isn’t all ...

MIAMI-Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon smiled and confidently answered question after question today at the first official Orange Bowl press conference.

But exactly a year ago, glee and confidence were about as distant as the North Pole for the Hokie’s junior quarterback. On December 30, 2006, Glennon threw three interceptions and was sacked repeatedly in a 31-24 loss to Georgia in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. His poor performance enabled the Bulldogs to rally back from an 18-point deficit in the second half of the bowl game.

“The Chick-fil-A Bowl wasn’t all his fault,” senior wide receiver Eddie Royal said. ...

Kansas hasn’t encountered anything like this in months.

This afternoon, the football players filed off the Barry University practice field, where the Jayhawks are preparing for the Orange Bowl in Miami, completely drained. It was not because the workout was any more demanding than the weekly regimen Kansas perfected in Lawrence this season. In fact, Kansas coach Mark Mangino and junior cornerback Aqib Talib said the practice’s structure was the same.

The difference was the notorious Miami heat, which hasn’t hibernated for the month of December. Senior center Ryan Cantrell doused water all over the ...

One of the best things about heading to South Florida for a week of practices leading up the Orange Bowl is the warm climate. But by the time Kansas was finishing its practice around 1:00 p.m. Saturday, the weather conditions were sticky if not downright hot.

In the 15 minutes I spent waiting for the Jayhawks to wrap up their practice and meet with the media, I worked up a very un-December-like sweat. I might not be acclimated to the humidity yet, but the Kansas players have started getting used to it.

”It’s definitely a lot hotter down here,” sophomore ...

Cruising comfortably at about 30,000 feet somewhere between Charlotte, N.C., and Miami, I’m brushing up on the extensive notes packets each school’s media relations department has prepared for the writers and TV folks covering the game and the next week’s festivities.

Kansas’ packet of numbers, quick facts and (mostly) interesting statistical morsels weighs in at a hefty 86 pages, while the Hokies managed to fit all of their tidbits into a concise 32 pages. No matter who wins the Orange Bowl, Virginia Tech has already proven itself the more environmentally conscious of the two squads.

Browsing through the first few ...