Ok, so I was born a Kansas farmboy and I suppose I still am, at least in some ways. I cut my teeth as a Kansas fan in 1988 watching the Jayhawks take down Oklahoma in the NCAA basketball championship and I screamed at the top of my lungs when they won again in 2008 as well as all of the Final Four appearances along the way. I've been angry when they lost, excited and arrogant when they won, and generally a nuisance in between. If I could have, or could in the future, afford to go to Kansas, then I would, just so I could say that it was actually "my" college.
When it comes to football, I'll root for whoever I feel like rooting for, and when it comes to pro basketball, I usually root for whoever has a KU player on the team. I love KU basketball that much.
Yes, I'm devestated that KU hasn't been invited to another conference. I'm sick about it. I know the money is in football, but I can't help it. I think it's pathetic how little the basketball program has garnered. I don't know all of the political issues wrapped up in the fact that the Cornhuskers, which can't play basketball and had forgotten how to play football until a few years ago, trumps the powerhouse that KU is in basketball. Maybe having more than triple the number of basketball championships, both national and conference, means nothing to anyone else, but I am a Jayhawk! My blood boils at this situation.
No, Kansas doesn't have all of the media markets, but a conference that brings the school into its fold will have more competition than it can handle and will immediately see why everyone in the Big 12 respects the Jayhawks.
One of the things that I'm most concerned with is if KU will have competition at its future conference. WAC? Mountain West? Sun Belt? None of them have the likes of Texas, Oklahoma, and recently, the likes of K-State. For basketball, only the Mountain West has competition, and that is only because of SDSU and UNLV. Will such a lack of full-on competition spell the end of KU basketball? I hope not.
So earn all of your money Nebraska, and play your football (I'll be rooting for Penn State, in case you're wondering), and I just hope that whatever conference gets KU is ready.
4 comments:
It's gonna be really interesting to watch what happens over the next couple of weeks. I'm a SEC fan living in Longhorn country and a New Orleans Saints fan living in Dallas Cowboy Country.
Man, that is a rough place to be! Now I know why you want those teams to go SEC!
Keep an eye on this. Kansas (and KSU) will not be left out in the cold. Baylor might, but KU won't. The conference that gets the Jayhawks will be a much better conference. Too bag the Big 10 isn't pushing for them.
Here's an ESPN article on the Mountain West Conference trying to get KU and others.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=5279018
Oh, and despite what any Mizzou fans are proclaiming, their school isn't that good (does the Big 10 really want MU?) nor does MU want to leave the Big 12. Good reason, too. They'd get slaughtered if they moved to the Big 10.
Anyway, I too am a Kansas homeboy, AND I am currently a Jayhawk. I agree with Bill Self...KU will land, and wherever they land, they will remain untarnished.
Were Colorado and Nebraska ever a part of the Big 12? I had forgotten about them entirely! Sorry.
Go Hawks!
I read that too. I don't want Mountain West, even though it wouldn't be as bad as Missouri Valley or something like that.
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