If you have followed sports for any length of time, you have probably heard coaches and players say about their rival, “It’s not a rivalry if it is not competitive.” I somewhat agree but mostly disagree with that sentiment.
The University of Kansas and Kansas State University have always been fierce rivals, no matter how good or bad the sports programs happen to be.
If I had my way, K-State would beat KU by 50 points for 50 years in a row. I do not feel the same about schools that are not a rival. Convincingly beating your rival makes the win even more satisfying.
The Jayhawks’ claim to fame in this rivalry is their edge in the all-time series, which stands at 65-51-5 in KU’s favor. Post-1980s, though, this rivalry — and it is a rivalry — belongs to the Cats.
It’s a Rivalry, Competitive or Not
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of a “rival” is:
1a: “One of two or more striving to reach or obtain something that only one can possess.”
1b: “One striving for competitive advantage.”
While K-State has other athletic “rivals,” KU is undoubtedly their main “rival.”
Win the annual Sunflower Showdown, and it becomes part of your recruiting pitch to entice recruits to play football at your school, but dominating them makes it an easy decision for the top in-state recruits.
K-State has dominated in-state recruiting for a long time, partly because of its dominance over Kansas on the football field. K-State has won 27 of the last 31 games against Kansas and has not lost to the Jayhawks since November 1, 2008.
For anyone counting, that is *checks note* 5,836 days.
For some perspective on the recent dominance in this series, I took a leap back in time to Kansas’ most recent win in the Sunflower Showdown football series.
The Last Time Kansas Won…
- George W. Bush was President of the United States. Neither Barack Obama, Donald Trump, nor Joe Biden have seen Kansas beat K-State on the football field during their Presidencies.
- The Apple iPad did not exist.
- Netflix streaming did not exist.
- Uber did not exist.
- Instagram did not exist.
- Air fryers did not exist.
- Venmo did not exist.
- The Android smartphone was in its infancy. (Think of that on Saturday when you are watching the game and look down at your phone during commercials to look up statistics, get injury updates, or see what people are saying on social media.)
- Twitter was two years old.
- AirBnB did not exist.
- Patrick Mahomes was 13 years old.
- Miley Cyrus released “Party in the USA” at 16.
- “Iron Man” was newly released. (Since that time, the MCU has produced 34 films)
- The TV hit “Modern Family” had not yet premiered.
- Nobody had heard of Sully Sullenberger, the man who landed a US Air flight on the Hudson River after both engines failed.
- Tom Brady had three Super Bowl wins, the same number as Patrick Mahomes has at the moment.
- Lebron James had zero NBA championships.
Yep, a lot can happen in 15 years. Can K-State make it 16 in a row against Kansas on Saturday? The Wildcats lead in every major statistical category over the Jayhawks except one: passing yards allowed — but KU isn’t great in that area, either.
K-State has a significant edge in total offense, total defense, rushing offense, passing offense, and rushing defense. Kansas may get enough yards through the air to keep the game close by halftime, but K-State should pull away in the second half to get a comfortable win.
Prediction: K-State 41, Kansas 21
