Surprise! It's not going to be about girls. Or me with girls.
Instead, it's going to be the other obvious. But I'm going to prolong
the drama, because I can.
Going into this season, my last as a college student, I had no idea
that I would be in for a magical ride. In August, if I would have been
offered the chance to skip the season and accept a Cotton Bowl berth,
I would have jumped at the opportunity in a nanosecond. Easy decision.
Yes, take me to Dallas. This is the school that hasn't played in a New
Year's day bowl since 1970. We were 8-5 and shat away the Sun Bowl
last year. Hell yes, I'd love the Cotton Bowl.
I stuck by my statement as my Missouri Tigers rolled into Norman 5-0.
This was the game--along with either the Colorado or Kansas State
games--that I had penned as a defeat. Sure enough, Missouri led 24-23
going into the fourth, but soon shit the game away thanks to a couple
stupid turnovers.
But then we slaughtered Texas Tech, and handled Iowa State. 7-1.
Surely, Colorado had to beat us. It made sense. Missouri always loses
when they're supposed to.
Instead, it was 55-10. 8-1. Ok, fine. We played well and Colorado
played badly. But we still have to go to Kansas State. That's loss #2.
All the while, Kansas is still undefeated. I can't tell you how
difficult it is to enjoy the season of a lifetime while your rival is
just across the state line enjoying their season of a lifetime that's
somehow just a smidge better. All that stood between the two of us was
an easy KU home game against Iowa State, and that pesky game in
Manhattan.
At the last second, I was fortunate to score a ticket. Might as well
witness the carnage in person. I'd been to every game except the Ole
Miss, OU and CU games. This was an easy drive, and if they were going
to go down, I might as well go down with them.
We didn't get the ball to start the game. (Disclaimer: We got the ball
to start every game this year but the Kansas State game. I've never
seen anything like it) Uh oh. It's already begun. But instead, William
Moore picks a pass off and we're suddenly at the 15. And then in the
end zone. Ok, maybe not. But wait, it's suddenly 15-14 Kansas State.
Oh shit. Suddenly, Chase Daniel is running around all over the place
and it's 3rd and 10. Bad things are going to happen. Wait, who's that
behind the KSU secondary? Is that Maclin? Hell yes! Touchdown!
Ballgame over. Hey KU, we'll see you at Arrowhead.
The Thanksgiving week before the Kansas game was the longest week of
my life. Never have I thought so much about a football game. Dubbed
Armageddon at Arrowhead, it was going to ruin one of the school's
seasons. Thanks to LSU, the winer would be #1, the North Division
Champion, and more importantly, one game away from the National
Championship.
If there was going to be a team that was going to lose, it was going
to be us. It made sense for us to lose. Just another chapter in the
Missouri choke book. But we didn't. The defense played out of their
minds until they started playing conservatively in the 4th up 21. The
offense was methodical, running the ball as well as they were throwing
it and chewing up the clock. Kansas made it close, and after missing
the onside kick, had one more chance to get the ball back with about
30 seconds left.
Instead it was Kansas that choked. Everyone's All-American Aqib Talib
somehow fielded the punt at the 2, danced around for 10 seconds, and
fell down at the 5. If there was ever a WTF moment, that was it. 17
seconds. Just enough time for Kansas to somehow get down the field.
Todd Reesing dropped back, but then, like a flash, was enveloped in
the end zone by Lorenzo Williams, Ziggy Hood and Stryker Sulak.
Safety. Game over. Crying commenced.
As the tears flowed down my face and I embraced my dad, I finally was
a fan of a team who was the best in their sport. #1. Unbelievable. A
chance to get back at Oklahoma. I immediately bought five copies of
the special "NO. 1" editions of the Kansas City Star outside the
stadium. Chase was on the cover of Sporting News and Sports
Illustrated. The Tigers were America's darlings.
And they were my team. My school.
It only lasted a week. The Big 12 Championship is taboo in these
parts. But hey, it was a good year. We were 11-2, only lost to
Oklahoma, who, when they want to be, are one of the best teams in the
country. We won the North. We're probably going to a BCS Bowl.
Wait, scratch that last part.
We weren't. Kansas was. The same Kansas who we shoved all around
Arrowhead just a week earlier. The same Kansas who played a bunch of
patsies in the nonconference schedule (their fault) and didn't play
Oklahoma, Texas or Texas Tech in conference play. (not their fault)
The same Kansas who didn't win the Big 12 North, and therefore didn't
play in the Big 12 Championship game. The same Kansas who claimed that
the Kansas-Missouri split at Arrowhead was going to be 70-30 Crimson
and Blue, but instead saw the crowd be evenly divided. THE SAME KANSAS
WHO WAS BEHIND MIZZOU IN THE FINAL BCS STANDINGS!
Kansas got an Orange Bowl bid. The same bowl that we last went to on
New Year's Day. The same bowl who's mascot bears a striking
resemblance to Mark Mangino. (Maybe that's why KU got picked)
We got the Cotton Bowl. A Cotton Bowl that starts at 10:30 in the
morning, and a Cotton Bowl (while still being a great bowl, isn't a
BCS bowl) that's in a dumpy stadium.
Fuck you BCS. If the top 2 only matter. Then only rank the top 2.
Fuck you Orange Bowl. Don't twist the knife in deeper when you have a
bowl choose a lower ranked team when higher ranked teams from the same
conference with a head-to-head victory over the team you chose was
available.
Fuck you rich white bureaucratic presidents of BCS conferences and
NCAA decision makers. 90% of America knows that a playoff would be an
infinitely better situation. Fuck you for grubbing for the money. Fuck
you for rendering essentially every bowl game besides the National
Championship meaningless. Is that what you want? 31 exhibitions and
one that counts? Oh wait, you're too busy counting all of the money
that Sears, Tostitos and FedEx are giving you. You don't care, do you?
Fuck you Lew Perkins. For supposedly promising the Orange Bowl that
you would sell 30,000 tickets. Wait? What? You can still buy blocks of
99 tickets through the Kansas website? Better get on that Lew. You
don't want to have to buy all of those extra tickets, do you? (the
penalties for this "infraction" are ridiculous, and it's quite
unlikely that Perkins will ever be punished anyway) Oh, and pass on my
fuck you to the Kansas athletics website too. And tell them to by a
dictionary. "Vindication" is not what happens when you are rewarded
for doing something bad.
I'm supposed to be enjoying this. My team is 11-2, #6 in the country
and going to the Cotton Bowl. I'm getting to spend New Year's in
Dallas, play some golf and have a great time. But instead, I'm left
wanting more. The more that Kansas is enjoying (without their fans).
The more that is supposed to be ours.
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