Earlier in the week, the Wall Street Journal ran a must-read article that chronicled the intensity of the annual "border war" rivalry game between Kansas and Missouri. The rivalry transcends football (which isn't surprising, given the historic level of success, or lack thereof, that both programs have enjoyed).
The "border war" continues tonight, and for a change, this year's "border war" has national championship implications. Since Kansas is undefeated and Missouri is 10-1, tonight's game is probably the most important edition of this venerable rivalry. One of these teams will walk off the field knowing that it's no longer in BCS contention. And that's unfortunate, because it would be nice to see both programs play in a BCS game (I figured I'd see a Sasquatch before I'd ever see Kansas or Mizzou in contention for the national championship).
Last week, this blog recognized Ohio State vs. Michigan as the best rivalry in college football. Everybody knows how big that rivalry is. But few people know about the intensity of the Kansas vs. Missouri rivalry. Tonight's game could do a lot to change that (provided that people actually watch the game -- despite the importance of the game, Kansas and Missouri aren't exactly marquee names in college football). But given the nature of this rivalry, and considering the mutual dislike between people from Kansas and denizens of the Show Me State, the rivalry's place in the consciousness of the American public will have little affect on the intensity of the "border war."
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