In case you forgot, Kansas State and Kansas hook it up on the football field this Saturday in the Sunflower Showdown.
If you listen to most KU fans, they believe this game favors the Jayhawks.
For some reason, the Jayhawk faithful believe that the combination of a two-game winning streak over the likes of Iowa State and Colorado (combined record of 5-17), a bye week this past week and K-State’s victory over then-No. 4 Texas last week all spell doom for the Wildcats in Lawrence.
KU fans should stick to cheering for basketball.
My favorite reason why KU fans think the Jayhawks will win this Saturday is this: Give coach Mark Mangino two weeks to prepare for an opponent and you can bet the Jayhawks will play lights out.
But in Mangino’s four-plus years at KU, the Jayhawks are 1-3 in games after a bye week.
The average score of those losses is 40-25.
The one win came courtesy of a choke job by Iowa State last season when the Cyclones had a shot at the Big 12 North title — the Jayhawks won 24-21 in overtime.
Those are the facts. So where do KU fans get off saying Mangino always has his teams prepared to play after a week off?
A bad coach is a bad coach, bye week or not. If anything, the bye week destroyed what little momentum KU had built with the wins over Iowa State and Colorado.
Add in that Mangino is one of the worst game-day coaches in the Big 12, and all you’ve got out of Mangino is a walking testament to coaching ineptitude.
KU fans also like to point out that the Wildcats are coming off an emotional 45-42 victory over defending national champion Texas, and that Kansas State could suffer from a hangover loss following such a monumental win.
But don’t think for a second that the game against KU is not first and foremost in the Wildcat players’ minds.
The game against the Jayhawks is a bigger game for Kansas State than the game against Texas because it is against KU. It’s rival against rival. It’s for 365 days of bragging rights.
Just like KU has won 31 of the last 32 games between the two schools in basketball, K-State has won 12 of the last 13 contests on the gridiron, and neither school wants the other to gain any ground in their respective sport.
You’ve got two teams — two rival teams — that each have something to play for. Kansas needs a win to be bowl eligible; K-State wants to keep the Jayhawks down while improving its bowl destination.
Kansas State is the better team with better players and a better coach. Ron Prince has shown an ability to keep his team from getting too high after wins or too low after losses, and he’ll have the Wildcats ready to play.
KU’s confidence is a false one, while K-State is riding a hot streak unlike any it has the past three seasons.
It all adds up to a Wildcat victory on Saturday.
jnewell (inactive user) says...
Better team, better players, better coach.
Better luck next year.
November 18, 2006 at 5:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )