Just because a guy is away in Texas drowning in internet trends, BBQ and general geekery doesn't mean he's forgotten about what really matters in this world:

College Basketball.

It's time to fill out the brackets again.

The NXT Desk's college hoops pool has returned and there is a bracket group at Yahoo! Sports open to anyone who wants in.

All you need to join is a Yahoo! ID, so if you have Yahoo! email it's easy. If not it only takes a few minutes.

If you want in make sure to fill in your brackets by Thursday morning.

What's at stake? Aside from bragging rights and personal glory, you also will have a guest post here on the NXT Desk and a special, one-of-a-kind T-shirt. I cannot disclose the details on the shirt yet, but know it is special.

I asked the winner of the first bracketstravaganza, my friend and former colleague Kevin Wack, to offer some reflections and words of advice going into the tournament:

I have this recurring fantasy that I'll one day wake up in a world in which my own unique talents are extravagantly prized. Remember, in "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," the scenes starring George Carlin? My fantasy is similar. Except that I won't be exalted for my guitar chops; rather, it'll be for my unearthly skill at prognosticating college basketball games.

For each of the last three years, I've entered the same NCAA tournament pool, which is run by a friend who teaches at Bates College, and each year I've beaten a field of 20-plus entrants. In 2006, when George Mason and Florida spoiled pretty much everyone's bracket, I had the pool wrapped up before the Final Four began. In 2007, I picked Ohio State to win it all, and even though Florida defended its title, I managed to nudge out six contestants who'd chosen the Gators. Last year, I entered a second pool, the inaugural Bracket-stravazanga on this blog. I picked Kansas on both of my sheets, and I'd basically given up hope before Mario Chalmers hit that late three. I let out a yelp of joy that was entirely inappropriate for a Monday night at Bingas Wingas.

Tonight--and yes, I realize this is completely pathetic--I calculated the chances of one person winning this same NCAA pool for each of the last three years. The odds are roughly one in 15,400.

The success has definitely gone to my head. I'm normally a pretty mellow guy--and not very quick with a comeback--but I've become an insufferable trash talker. After last year's victory, I wrote to the pool's other contestants that the best part wasn't winning, but watching them lose. At least during the month of March, I'm pretty sure all my friends hate me.

And my girlfriend isn't helping. She keeps encouraging me to drop my career and become a professional sports gambler. Of course she's kidding, but there's a part of my brain that wants to believe she's offering sound advice. Maybe I could follow in the footsteps of this guy--you know, spend my winters in Vegas and my summers in Old Orchard Beach.

Now don't get me wrong. On a rational level, I don't believe that I've been anything but exceptionally lucky. I realize that this winning streak has just set me up for a bigger fall. Still, it's a lot more fun to imagine that I have a special gift and--to take the fanciful into the realm of the absurd--that my gift will one day be treasured by all.

In this world, the third Thursday and Friday of March will be national holidays. "One Shining Moment" will be the national anthem. And I will be king. OK--who am I kidding? Joe Lunardi will be king. But maybe I can be like a kick-ass duke or something.

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