Last weekend, the Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Missouri Tigers in one of the most thrilling Border War showdowns in the series’ history.
The Jayhawks and Tigers went 12 rounds, with KU finally landing the knockout punch in the final round to finish the Tigers. The past two years of the Border War have evolved the rivalry from a regional rivalry to the national spotlight.
However, without a game’s result from 10 years ago, it may have been impossible for the rivalry to increase in importance.
This week marks the tenth anniversary of the Kansas State Wildcats’ defeat in the Big 12 title game against Texas A&M, knocking them out of contention for the national title that season. After the second-ranked UCLA Bruins lost a heartbreaker to Miami earlier in the day, the Wildcats were in great shape to play for the national title.
Leading Texas A&M 27-12 in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats surrendered the lead and would lose 36-33 in double overtime.
Just for fun, let’s say the Wildcats hold on to the lead and move on to play Tennessee in the national title game. The Volunteers team that won the title was one of the weakest national champions since the Bowl Championship Series was created. They won a lot of close games and Kansas State probably had more overall talent, especially on the offense.
What if Kansas State won the national title in 1998? It would have been one of the greatest stories in college football history had Bill Snyder led the program from the deep hole it was in to a national title.
All three local schools would have dealt with certain ramifications as a result of a national championship for Kansas State.
For the Wildcats, they would have been without a doubt the power program in the Big 12 North.
Remember, Tom Osborne had retired in 1997, so Nebraska had taken a small step back.
Kansas and Missouri were horrible at the time. Iowa State had good seasons under Dan McCartney, but probably would not have challenged Kansas State.
Colorado won some division titles when the division was in bad shape earlier this decade.
When Snyder retired the first time, the Wildcats would have been able to settle on someone other than an offensive line coach from an average football program in Virginia.
A national title probably gets Jim Leavitt, Brent Venables or another bigger name rather than Ron Prince.
Leavitt or Venables would have kept it going and the program would be in better shape compared to where it’s at now.
Perhaps a national title would have prevented Snyder from retiring in the first place.
For the Jayhawks, it’s hard to imagine Mark Mangino being able to turn around the football program with a national title trophy in the Little Apple.
Kansas State certainly would have been the dominant program in the state longer and it would make Mangino’s job of recruiting talent from Kansas even harder. Quite frankly, it’s nearly impossible for both Kansas State and Kansas to be good at the same time.
Had the Wildcats won it all in 1998, I imagine Snyder would have stayed on top of the mountain over his in-state rival. A national title for the Wildcats may have killed the Kansas football program for a long time.
Looking at what would have happened to Missouri, the water is a little muddier. The Tigers under Gary Pinkel have thrived in part because of the decline of Nebraska and Kansas State, as both schools won key recruiting battles in the Kansas City area over Missouri.
A Wildcat national title makes Kansas State the most recognized local program within the Kansas City area and probably just sends more talented recruits to Snyder’s program. With Snyder’s past retirement and Nebraska’s decline, Pinkel started winning recruiting battles in Kansas City, most notably with Tony Temple.
While the job may not have been as difficult as Mangino’s, a Wildcat national title makes things a little harder for Pinkel’s rebuilding job in Columbia.
Looking back in Kansas City’s sports history, there are a lot of these “what if” moments.
However, the prospects of three football programs were in the balance during the 1998 Big 12 Championship Game. Assuming Kansas and Missouri were not as good because of Kansas State’s title, the Border War would not matter too much on a national scale.
Who knew Sirr Parker would help save the Border War?
Nick Sloan is the Sports Editor for the Kansas City Kansan. He can be reached at nicks@kansascitykansan.com.
