You'd think it was the biggest thing to hit Shreveport since legalized gambling.

You'd think the locals would be jumping up and down, lining up by the thousands for tickets to see one of college football's elite. But to be perfectly honest, they aren't.

Don't be mistaken. Fans will pay to see the Nebraska Cornhuskers. But they aren't treating it like the Beatles are coming to town. After all, the MainStay Independence Bowl has seen this before. This is the little bowl that always seems to hit it big.

The past three years, the game has hosted Alabama, Texas A&M and Oklahoma. In 1997, Notre Dame came to town for a showdown against LSU.

Part of it is luck. Part of it is strategic positioning. Whatever the case, some of the nation's most prestigious programs consistently find themselves in Northwest Louisiana come late December -- whether they like it or not.

"We've been very, very fortunate. There's no question about that," said Glen Krupica, the Independence Bowl's Executive Director. "And this year it happened again."

The tie-ins for the Independence Bowl are Big XII No. 5 and SEC No. 6 or No. 7, a selection they share with the Music City Bowl. This year's matchup features Nebraska against Ole Miss.

But landing the Huskers isn't the cash cow some might think. Nebraska finished the regular season with a 7-6 mark, its worst in 41 years. The Independence Bowl is its lowest level bowl since 1980, when the Cornhuskers played in the Sun Bowl. After last year's appearance in the Rose Bowl, the 2001 National Championship game, the Huskers aren't overjoyed about Shreveport. Nor are their fans, who have yet to buy tickets like Krupica hoped.

"Sometimes it's better to catch a school that hasn't been to a bowl for awhile or maybe the idea of going to a bowl is somewhat novel for them," Krupica said. "You have the potential for more people in situations like that. On the flip side, with Nebraska, this is a rare chance. You take them and build your bowl résumé."

Not that Krupica needs the Huskers for that. Last April, the Independence Bowl upped its payout to a minimum of $1.2 million per team. When they renegotiated their tie-in with the Big 12, they moved up to the fifth conference bowl slot from the sixth. In addition, construction workers recently completed a $32 million renovation to Independence Stadium, including new seats in the south end zone and a new press box.

Krupica's staff also has produced coffee table books, CD-ROMs and other brochures educating presidents, athletic directors and head coaches that there's more to Shreveport than Riverboat gambling and mosquitoes.

"I guarantee Nebraska will enjoy the experience," Krupica said. "It's not about us, it's about them. We build the events and build the schedule to suit their needs. And you don't get that at the mega bowls."

Wayne Drehs is a staff writer at ESPN.com. He can be reached at wayne.drehs@espn3.com.