College Football Notebook | Missouri confronts unbeaten Kansas
Every coach and practically every player at Kansas and Missouri has a story illustrating the passion of the schools’ 115-game-old “Border Showdown,” called the “Border War” by most fans.
“I was up on a visit, my first unofficial visit. Never been to Columbia before,” Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel recalled. “Me and the quarterbacks coach, David Yost, were at a Cold Stone Creamery getting some ice cream. Right when we were leaving, somebody said, ‘Hey, beat KU all four years you’re here and we’ll still love you, no matter the [seasonlong] outcome.’ ”
Today at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., the Tigers (10-1 overall, 6-1 Big 12 Conference) can secure a permanent place in their state’s hearts and history. Same for Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing and the Jayhawks (11-0, 7-0). Never have the programs - a respective fourth and second in the Bowl Championship Series standings - met with so much at stake.
The winner will claim a first Big 12 North Division title and berth in the Big 12 championship game Dec. 1 in San Antonio. If the Jayhawks win there, they would likely move on to the BCS National Championship Game on Jan. 7 in New Orleans. If Missouri takes the Big 12 title, it also would have an excellent chance to play for the national championship.
Nevada oddsmakers list Kansas as a 1-½-point favorite.
The Missouri-Kansas rivalry is the sport’s second oldest, dating to 1891, and little less fervent than, say, Michigan-Ohio State or Texas-Oklahoma. It merely has lacked a national stage; this is the fourth meeting, first since 1973, when both teams came in ranked. Never had both entered while ranked in the Top 10.
The schools agreed 11 months ago to bring their game to Arrowhead this year and in ‘08 because Kansas City is the epicenter of their rivalry. Between them, Missouri and Kansas have about 90,000 alumni in the metropolitan area.
Although Kansas City Chiefs officials don’t want to hear it, it has become the biggest game in Arrowhead’s history, too. Besides the nearly 80,000 people inside, as many as 15,000 to 20,000 could be milling about in the parking lot.
For Missouri, the game is the most important sporting event in school history.
“Everybody’s going to remember the 2007 Missouri-Kansas game. Forever,” said Tigers coach Gary Pinkel, a former Washington offensive coordinator. “This is what you do this for. It’s going to be quite a night.”
The game matches the nation’s second-highest-scoring offense (Kansas is averaging 45.8 points) versus the No. 6 scoring offense (Missouri is averaging 42.5). It features Heisman Trophy-contending quarterbacks who have combined for 60 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions.
“It feels,” Kansas safety Darrell Stuckey said, “like it’s time to separate the boys from the men.”
Notes
• West Virginia, third in this week’s Bowl Championship Series standings, seemingly has an excellent chance to move up at least one spot if it wins at home today against Connecticut. UConn is 20th in the BCS standings, and today’s winner will secure the Big East Conference’s bid to a BCS game.
West Virginia ends its regular season with a Dec. 1 home game against Pittsburgh.
• No. 8 Virginia Tech and No. 16 Virginia have played 88 games since 1895, and none has carried the significance of the game they will play today in Charlottesville. The winner will clinch the Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division title and advance to the ACC title game, where it will play for an automatic berth in the BCS.
Compiled from Gannett News Service, The Associated Press and The Washington Post