WHY WE GO FOR THE CORN TORTILLAS AT EL POLLO LOCO: Pity Nick Filipowski. The columnist at the Univ. of Nebraska student newspaper (DAILY NEBRASKAN) somehow takes the bait from a tired, throwaway July 31 piece by LOS ANGELES TIMES columnist T.J. Simers.

Filipowski attempts to refute well-worn cliches cited by Simers about the Cornhusker state in a story centered on the upcoming USC-Nebraska matchup on Sept. 15 in Lincoln (yes, we will be there).

Simers’ observos aren’t worthy of mention. But here’s the ammo the NU student hauled out in support of the state Mike Rozier rendered:

• “Actually, if you wanted to end up lost and in the middle of nowhere, you could travel to Kearney, which is 1,733 miles from Boston and San Francisco. Known as the “Midway City of the Nation,” in Kearney you can find the Frank House, which was the first house west of the Mississippi to be wired for electricity.

• “You could visit Falls City, where Hilary Swank won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role in the 1999 blockbuster, ‘Boys Don’t Cry.’

• “And don’t forget to pass through Hastings, where Edwin Perkins created Kool-Aid in 1927. Cool, huh?”

Actually Nick, that sucks. We’re from Northeast Kansas, and the reason we love Nebraska is the people, the beauty of the state and the fervency with which they support their Huskers. Hilary Swank, San Francisco and Kool-Aid can go to hell.