I focus most of my sports blogging on my beloved Georgia Bulldogs my undergraduate alma mater. However, an academic like myself usually has more than one school under his belt and the University of Missouri granted me a Ph.D. a few years back. For various reasons, the Mizzou sports teams never really got my allegiance the way that the Bulldogs did. But the Tigers football team are ranked in the Top 5 and are a dark horse to play for a National Championship. They’re playing their final game of the regular season in one of the most unlikely Top 5 matchups in college football history – the No. 4 Missouri Tigers vs. the No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks. My friend and fellow Mizzou alum Nathan requested that I spew some venom in the Jayhawks direction, and I am more than happy to oblige.

I was a transplant in the Midwest, so I’ve never really been able to sink my teeth into this particular rivalry. I can certainly attest to the ferocity of the animosity between Kansans and Missourians. It goes back to the mid-nineteenth century to the border war between pro-slavery Missouri “bushwhackers” and abolitionist “jayhawkers” from Iowa and Kansas. Seems that conflict has never fully been resolved as “Border War” is the phrase used to describe the Missouri-Kansas football rivalry. Typically it has very little impact outside of these two states, but this year the whole country is watching.

If you are a college football fan in general, you should be cheering for Missouri. If Kansas manages a win they are one step closer to being one of the most overrated teams to ever play in a National Championship game. I mean, seriously, Hawaii is undefeated but nobody is talking about them for the National Championship. Hawaii’s schedule may actually be tougher than the Jayhawks. But if you need more convincing, here are several more reasons to root for the Tigers on Saturday.

  • Kansas has played exactly one ranked team this year and they (Kansas State) are no longer ranked. The combined record of their opponents is 42 – 69. It’s not the Jayhawks fault that they don’t have any strong Big 12 teams this year. It is their fault, however, that their non-conference schedule includes Florida International and Southeast Louisiana.
  • I’m more of a Missouri basketball fan and every year I was at school in Columbia the Jayhawks would come to town and spank Missouri. That stupid “Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk” cheer is one of the most annoying chants in college sports. The only thing worse, in fact, may be Tennessee playing “Rocky Top” every time they score.
  • Two words – Kirk Hinrich.
  • Kansas sports teams are named for a 19th century terrorist group.
  • The Kansas Board of Education tried to ban the teaching of evolution in schools in 2005. This is still embarassing to an expatriated American scientist.
  • Famous Kansans: Bob Dole, Sam Brownback, Jeff Probst, Gerald B. Winrod and Dennis Rader. Famous Missourians: Harry Truman, Mark Twain, Walter Cronkite, T.S. Eliot and Wilco.
  • Kansas (and ultimately this may be their demise) sold out their home field advantage and took the money to play at a neutral site this weekend. I think that Kansas City, MISSOURI crowd may lean slightly toward the Tigers. I bet the KU officials responsible for this decision are going to kick themselves as they watch their national championship chances get left behind on the turf at Arrowhead.

The Border War kicks off in Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City at 8 p.m. Eastern on Saturday (that’s 1 a.m. Greenwich, ouch). ABC has the TV coverage in the States and on the net worldwide. You’ve got to pay for Missouri’s live coverage, I don’t know about Kansas. I know I’m not objective, but I’ve been fairly good at making predictions this season. This one should be a high scoring affair, but Missouri has just got more talent on both sides of the ball – Missouri 45, Kansas 35.

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