It’s about time…
Ever since KU got its panties in a bunch over Mizzou bailing on the Big 12, leaving the Jayhawks high and dry, the oldest rivalry in Division One college sports “west of the Mississippi” has been missing in action.
Missouri wanted to keep things going, but like jilted lovers, KU basketball deity Bill Self (and what former KU coach Roy Williams referred to as the “wine and cheese” KU fan base) would have none of it.
Kansas wasn’t about to suffer an annual drubbing by MU’s football team. Nor would it risk losing to Missouri in basketball and endangering its perennial Top 20 basketball ranking.
Screw those unfaithful losers in Columbia, KU would be just fine without ’em.
Trouble is, ever since KU ended the rivalry, its football fortunes have plummeted.
But now guess what?
Lawrence Journal World sports editor Tom Keegan has finally grown a pair and is calling out KU for its folly and telling them to renew the rivalry if they want to breathe life into Jayhawks football.
“Playing Missouri in football is a no-lose proposition for Kansas” Keegan writes. “Losing is the expected outcome, unless KU (can close) ground on Missouri by the time a game can be scheduled. Defeating Missouri would do more for a Kansas coach’s popularity than slaying any other opponent.”
Duh…
Long story short, why doesn’t new KU athletic director Jeff Long man up and do the obvious – even if it ruffles prima donna Self’s tail feathers?
Which is, resurrect both rivalries, basketball and football?
Unfortunately, nearly everybody in Lawrence lives in abject fear of offending Mr. Bill.
Even Keegan kisses up to the rug wearing coach by celebrating Self’s retort last year to a suggestion by Mizzou that the KU coach was to blame for not renewing the rivalry:
“Tell the ex-Missouri chancellor that I coach basketball, not football,” Self said smugly. “That we would never play a game in Arrowhead or even discuss it. It’s too cold. We play our games indoors. But I look forward to meeting him someday if he’s ever in Lawrence.”
Hilarious, what a funny guy.
But why should a single individual’s arrogance be allowed to extinguish one of the most hallowed rivalries in college sports?
“There you have it,” Keegan tap dances. “Self isn’t standing in the way of the football rivalry coming back to life. He doesn’t need a say in that. Kansas football could use the spice the rivalry brings; the sooner, the better.
“Opponents already on KU’s schedule from 2019 through 2028 include Coastal Carolina (three times), Boston College (twice), Houston (twice), Illinois (twice) and Washington State (twice).
“None of those are nearly as compelling as a rivalry resumption with Missouri.”
Left unsaid, is the obvious:
Nor are any of KU’s basketball rivals nearly as compelling as Mizzou.
In Rodney King parlance, can’t we all just get along?
I see no reason for MU to play a high school football team.
Pretty harsh…nonetheless the Tigers seem to think otherwise
Jack is completely correct. Nor do I see any need for KU to play a significantly inferior opponent in basketball. The only people calling for reestablishing a non-rivalry are people who are not sports people, or people who don’t have a rooting interest in the teams. Leave them where they are. Missery is happy in the SEC and let them enjoy that. KU can survive without the skid mark on their schedule every year quite successfully.
I dunno, Rich…
Lots of people who enjoy rivalries like KU-MU don’t have to be “sports people” to count.
Frankly, there are a lot more non sports people than there are sports people. Why not give the huddled masses what they want?
So…, KU is trying to “get a little muscle over here”?
True story….
I was feeling really down about the state of the Royals, so the wife comes up to me and says “It’s not so bad — Kansas is ranked in the top 10 in football this season”
“What?!? Where did you see that???” was my eager-eyed response.
She replies “Right here in the paper — See Kansas ranked 10 in the division this season. How big is a division?”
Funny
It would have to be both major sports, not just football. As Keegan wrote, playing Mizzou in football is a no-lose proposition. The same could be used as rationale by Mizzou in scheduling basketball. Both sides need some skin in the game.
Personally, I’m only a casual college sports fan, but the annual Mizzou/KU games always piqued my interest.
I’m with Paul…
To be equitable it would need to be with both sports. So Self would need to pull his head out of his…and stop being so cocky/cute. One of my sources in KU athletics says a reckoning for KU basketball is just around the corner, so maybe that will happen.
And why not treat the fans to an annual Wichita State basketball game as well.
KU fans are such pussies. They rationalize not playing those games and point to North Carolina, Kentucky and the like, but the truth is – quite obviously – they’re afraid to play the other viable area teams.
I think you confuse fear with apathy. The only reason I ever see any KU fans watching Missouri football is due to gambling. And to be quite honest, I can’t remember the last time I saw a Missouri basketball game, let alone actually look to root against it. Missouri football made me quite a bit of money last year, but I have no interest in ever seeing the Hawks play them again in anything. All that being said KU Basketball fans are horrid people. Close to as bad as KSU/Missery football fans. They do not seem to grasp the fact that it is a competitive game, and calls go both ways. I do not abide KU Basketball fans.
Don’t get lost in the world of sports fanatics. Of course KU fans won’t watch MU football and vice versa. But that’s not real life. What sports zealots think and do is apart from regular folks who enjoy a sports pageant if you will.
And if you’re a student of the rivalry, you know that the teams played beyond their skill sets and upset each other unexpectedly year in and year out.
That the rivalry made both teams better often times.
And that there was an ebb and flow from one year to the next.
To assume that KU will forever be bad in football and MU in basketball would be naive.
Remember when everybody thought k State would forever be among the worst teams in football.
Missouri just brought in 1 billion dollaars…..1 billion dollars…even after all the
crap several years ago.
MU is starting to take shape in football….ku is a star in basketball but sh*t in
football. MU is starting to take shape in bball even with the number one recruit
out last year.
I could care less about a KU MU game. Who give a flying f&&&! It’svoever.
Missouri trounced KU in football and the opposite would happen in bball.
Football is the only real sport….the money sport…the money that lets these
other sports survive. If not for football and the cash they get all these non
universities die. KU included.
This coach is good…he’s got a great attitude for a guy who wins no games.
But he likes the check.
Hearne….sorry but you won’t live long enough to see ku have awinning
season.
sorry to give you the bad news. Maybe if they hired joe paterno or ara parseghina
but they’re not available.
And maybe if you were paying attention you’d know that I’m not particularly interested seeing KU win…other than it would be good for people in this area. I went to Arizona, I” remind you. That said, I’m really not much of a sports fan these days. Other than my interest in writing about it. Guess what I’m saying is that I don’t have any skin in the game as a fan or whatever.
I think it will take the donors from both schools in the KC area to make this happen. They know how much money can be made, and how it will help both schools, and the local bars and eating establishments. Money talks.
You may be right, Goose…
But from the way things are starting to appear, the schools are headed in the right direction…baby steps, but none the less steps. Like I’ve said, I’m kind of a fair weather sports fan these days, but I’d love to be able to pimp some of my more zealous MU fans (who think I’m a closet Jayhawk).
What rivalry?
KU vs MU? Sporting brothers another mother, faces only a mom as fanatic could love. Compelling as KC vs STL football when the Cardinals and Rams were there… baseball same: outside the larceny of ’85: Cards have owned the Royals since in STL as well KC.
Rah-rah college spirit?
As Nebraska vs Iowa football or NU vs Creighton basketball… meh. Kansas vs Wichita State football would be more compelling, latter weaker sister having managed beat the former but once in five tries over the years; ‘must see tv’ for an less discerning public, century 21. Last time Kerouac cared MU vs KU football was ’69, Dan Devine wearing headphones Missouri; avenged a 2-point MU loss Columbia and beat KU in Lawrence by 48 points.
______________
Waiting for KU become football what it is basketball? Might as well wait some more for Godot… decades become century, seek ye not the football kingdom, rather, mere respectability. Some things are just never meant to be: the Chiefs winning an World Championship, Robert Mueller finding any Russia collusion, pi finding its final digit.
Another irrational number: how many more centuries till Kansas football has pulse?
Did, in 1899: 10-0-0 under Fielding H. Yost. Et postea? One and done, he left KU for Stanford aft the Jayhawks enjoyed a single season of being in tall clover, a short lived serendipity, wheat giving way chaff the next season (Yost was employed KU the same time they had the inventor basketball himself James Naismith the payroll.)
Apologies Klondike Bar aficiondos: ‘what would KU do for a Coach Saban ours?’ Same thing Nebraska would a white Knight named Bobby dropped into their hard court laps – blink. Being prepared not in the sports scout DNA either, neither school would move in the Nick of time, were either coach $omehow persuaded take such a plunge. In lieu, the ages have provided Kansas a Pepper and Mangino football, Nebraska Cipriano and a Nee basketball, versions theirs ‘as good as it gets’.
________________
Once upon a time NU had Devaney and Osborne football, KU basketball had Owens and Brown. While the latter were followed the likes a Williams and Self, NU football has cycled through a Bo named Pellini and Mike ‘No Life Of ‘ Riley football – upshot: change can/does happen… even for the worse. That should scare KU fans: could get even worse the Jayhawks continued football tradition Beaty, Bowen, Weiss and Gill, an combined 14 W’s in the last 8 years… what rivalry/spirit would cure this?
If you can’t attract a name coach and/or don’t want the maintenance ha$$le owning a Cadillac, elimination a lo$ing program must be a consideration. Failing said, continue on in an Rambler as your team sputters toward even greater mediocre glories, untold.
😎
As far as NU goes, don’t forget those jerkoffs ran off TWO coaches who regularly won 9 -10 games per year. Both Frank Solich and Bo Pelini. They can pin their overinflated hopes of returning to “glory” on poor Scott Frost, but it’s not going to happen. This isn’t 1995. NU is going to regularly be winning the B1G. NU is a VHS Championship school. All of their championships are on VHS or worse. At the end of the day, Nebraska is still a fly-over rural state in a recruiting wasteland. The best NU folks should hope for is playing in the B1G championship game once every 3-5 years and maybe, MAYBE winning it once in 10 years.
I think you meant Wichita State basketball. Wichita State has not had a football team since 1986.
yes
No, Kerouac actually meant the Wichita State football team… having proven they can’t beat anyone, perhaps KU can beat no one, i.e., a team that doesn’t even exist (all forfeits kindly accepted – rimshot/cymbal crash! )
Not sure they could beat Emporia State University Teachers College (who has never had a team), but it would certainly be compelling (in the same way as it was watching sans audio/announcer,)that NFL game of a few seasons ago.
A precursor KU disappearing into the mist football yesteryear… defunct; well on their way. When playing just any old tomato can won’t do, play KU 🏈
😎
I personally, can do without the KU/MU series, but I will say one thing…the loss of the KU/MU series’ in BB and FB has hurt the KC sports scene fairly significantly. I do find it funny that the Big 12 (10?) continues to host it’s conference basketball tournament in a state where there is no team in the conference. But the state of Missouri does thank the Big 12(10) for the rivers of tax revenue that run thru the state thanks to that.
Continuing my stream of consciousness…I find it funny that Coach Toupee claims too see so little value in playing Mizzou, yet when he wants to raise a shit-ton of money for charity, the first place he calls is Mizzou. Why? Cause he knows both KU and MU fans will turn out in droves for the game. Also funny was the rather large ration of fecal matter he had thrown his way for “lowering” KU down to play Mizzou again from KU “fans”.
You know who pushes the hardest for the KU/MU rivalry to return? The KC press. Honestly, it’s a big deal here in the metro area…but no one else gives a damn east of Columbia or west of Lowrents.