Let's just suppose Mark Mangino knows how to have a good time.

And that just before his Kansas football team takes the field against Nebraska tonight, he scraps the worn-out: "Play your hearts out and I can live with the results" speech.

Now pretend that instead, Mangino gathers his team around him and delivers something along this line:

"All right, here's the deal. You beat these guys — when we get back to Lawrence the party's on me. And next week, after we knock the snot out of that team in purple, we're gonna rip it up again."

Yeah, I know. When pigs fly.

But if I were Mangino, I'd be playing this as far away from the vest as possible.

I bet you didn't know the guy stands to rake in an extra five grand if the Jayhawks win tonight. Same thing goes for next Saturday's game against Kansas State. The Huskers and Wildcats are the only two KU opponents that warrant a bounty.

Considering Nebraska has had Kansas in a headlock for the last 35 years — i.e., the second-longest active NCAA Division I-A winning streak against one foe — I'm surprised Big Red's head isn't worth more.

And while I understand the apathy Nebraska fans have for KU, I'll be surprised if the Jayhawks don't create some changes in that attitude.

I'm not saying to the point of respect now accorded Southern Mississippi. But if nothing else, the  loss to the Golden Eagles and close call in Pittsburgh definitely should have convinced you the Huskers still have a long climb before they become world-beaters.

Think otherwise? Then check out what's been going on with the Panthers since things nearly got too hot for NU in Steel Town. In its next contest, Pitt needed to rally from two touchdowns down to beat Division I-AA Furman in overtime. On Thursday, the Panthers lost to Connecticut.

The Huskers will be asking for trouble if they show up tonight expecting to see another Western Illinois.

True, the Jayhawks have little to show from their last two games — a tough three-point, last-minute loss at Northwestern, followed by a major meltdown that led to a one-point loss to Texas Tech. But if Mangino's club hasn't beaten itself before tonight's opening kickoff, Nebraska had better display the major strides Bill Callahan suggested it's taken since the last game.

Though listed as a 13-point underdog, Kansas — despite producing nearly 100 fewer yards offense and giving up about 100 more per game than Nebraska — is scoring better than the Huskers and holding its opponents to a lower total.

"Bill (Young) knows defense," University of Tulsa defensive coordinator Todd Graham said about the man now calling the shots for the Jayhawks. "I would think they'd do a pretty good job against Nebraska.

"Nebraska runs the West Coast offense. That's what we run, and I know they gave us fits."

Kansas prevented Tulsa from reaching the end zone. That's a team that returned eight offensive starters from its Humanitarian Bowl squad. The Jayhawks — who feature the Big 12's top tackler in Nick Reid, and also have another linebacker, Gabriel Toomey, who was good enough to be at Oklahoma — haven't given up a first-quarter TD. And they've allowed just two in the final 15 minutes of a game.

What has plagued KU is an inept rushing attack, and now it must try to generate yards against a defense that's ranked No. 1 in the country at stuffing the run.

"We felt Kansas could be successful running or throwing the football. Like we do against most teams, we felt we had to shut down one dimension of their game, and we chose their running attack," Northwestern defensive coordinator Greg Colby said. "Fortunately, we did that, got a lead and had control of the game most of the way."

The Wildcats still couldn't keep Mangino's team from scoring two fourth-quarter touchdowns and taking a lead with less than six minutes to play.

Think about that for a second. Isn't that what happened to Nebraska the last time it played in Memorial Stadium?

"It's an unbelievably tough place to play. It's very intimidating, but we can't let it get to us," Reid said to reporters earlier this week. "We'll have to go out there and do what we practice, and everything will turn out all right."

Just in case he's right, Mangino might want to dust off his party shoes.

Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.