Of course, the Sunflower Showdown will always be one of the rivalries that the nation will pay a bit more attention to, and for good reason. You are always guaranteed a Kansas vs Kansas State showdown across multiple different sports, and sometimes you get it even twice a year. It is the consistency of seeing those sides square off that keeps things on edge.
The Border War, however, is a different story.
Across any sport, it is hard to script the next fixture between Kansas and Missouri. For example, the Jayhawks are set to take on the Tigers this season on the hardwood, but until a new agreement is reached, it will be the pair's last matchup.
On the gridiron, the two are set to meet this season, but once again that rivalry is at risk of falling off again, making it just the second meeting since 2011.
So when the Jayhawks do get the rare opportunity to take on the Tigers, they have to make it count. But in 2007, in one of the rivalry’s most important games yet, Kansas fell.
Setting the backdrop
The 2007 season is widely regarded as one of the craziest in college football history, where it felt like every single week, the best teams in the nation would constantly shift spots in the top 25. However, amidst all of the chaos, Mark Mangino, who was in his sixth season at the helm, was one of the few consistent teams across the FBS.
Up to the Border War, Kansas had just three games decided by 10 points or less, as the team had marched out to an insane 11-0 record, a far cry from the 6-6 record Mangino had posted just one year prior.
The Tigers stood at a solid 10-1 record and, despite their loss to No. 6 Oklahoma earlier in the season, had found themselves well inside the top 10 heading into this heated matchup.
By kickoff, KU was ranked No. 2 in the nation, with Missouri following right behind at No. 3.
And as Steve Samra of On3 reports, it would go down as one of the most gut-wrenching losses in Kansas history.
“Kansas entered the 2007 Border War against Missouri with an 11-0 record and national championship aspirations. Chase Daniel threw three touchdown passes as Missouri built a 28-7 lead and eventually held on for a 36-28 victory. Kansas rallied late but couldn’t complete the comeback. The Jayhawks still finished with an Orange Bowl victory, but Daniel denied them an even bigger opportunity.”
Heights that haven’t been touched since
Mangino’s last two seasons would play out to a 13-12 record before Mangino departed the program, signaling one of the worst decades in college football history, as KU notched just 21 wins over the next 10 seasons.
Now, for the Jayhawks sits a daunting task at getting Lance Leipold to his third bowl game in six seasons with the program and while it is a rocky road, if Leipold can achieve this feat, he has more than cleared the benchmark.
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