F*ck kansas.

Dec 2, 2022 - 9:41 PM

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There’s been a whole lot of pearl clutching from college football fans when the report by Brett McMurphy came out that essentially alleges that Missouri preferred not to play kansas in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis.

As someone who was excited for the possibility and was actually preparing to buy tickets to that game, I was extremely disappointed.

I get that Missouri has a conflict with their men’s basketball SEC opener and that players would like to be home for Christmas. Those are understandable and reasonable things to try and work around.

Still though, Missouri should’ve been trying to play this game. If they were legitimately offered a chance at that, they should’ve jumped at the opportunity to sell that game out, put on a show for the entire country, and potentially end their season with a load of momentum. Winning a bowl game would be a huge accomplishment, as it would break a streak of bowl losses. But beating your archrival in the process? That would be priceless. It may have been one of the most interesting bowl games involving a pair of 6-6 teams in a long time.

Here’s what we ain’t gonna do, though....

We will not sit here and act like Missouri is “scared” to play a 6-6 kansas team that is bowl eligible for the first time in a decade and lost six of their last seven games. That there is actually comedic. The only thing funnier is seeing kansas fans talk trash about them being better. It’s like the guy you play pick-up basketball against who misses his first 25 shots and then trash talks you when he makes his only shot, the game winner. It’s just funny.

We also will not revise the recent history of this rivalry, either:

“That’s what fans want to know, but we’re gonna do what’s best for us,” Self said. “We’re not interested in doing what’s best for Missouri or best for Missouri fans. But if it’s best for us to play ’em, we will. It’s not a complicated deal.”

This was back in 2017, when kansas’ Athletic Director, WHOOPS I MEAN basketball coach, was still actively refusing to let anyone play Mizzou because of their departure to the SEC. By the way, I gotta ask... How is that whole Big 12 thing working out for you guys now?

Like I said earlier, I think Missouri should find a way to play kansas but it is interesting to see how there’s a distinct difference in reaction now that Missouri is the one who is deciding to make decisions that are in the best interest of their program and their student athletes.

I want to end by acknowledging these facts:

Since Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC, they’ve gone 75-62 overall, 41-49 in conference, won two division titles, have been bowl eligible in eight of eleven seasons, and has had 27 players drafted in the NFL Draft. No one will confuse them with Georgia or anything, but Mizzou has been a competent football program. To put it in perspective, Missouri’s last coach got fired for going 6-6.

Since Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC, kansas has gone 24-105 overall, 9-89 in conference, will be attending their first bowl game since 2008, has had seven players drafted in the NFL draft, and has been college football’s premier dumpster fire program. No one will confuse them with an NAIA school, but these guys have sucked for a sustained period of time. To put it in perspective, they finished 6-6 this season and their coach just got a huge extension.

There are levels to this.

Oh, and I am not alone in these thoughts. Here’s our football editor:

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