Seneca Wallace is NOT walking through that door

What is the state of KU football in the Big 12 these days?

Over the weekend, KU (5-5, 2-5) was annihilated 66-14 on national television by the consensus number two team in the country, the University of Texas Longhorns. A year after being the talk of college football for a weekend by nearly upsetting the Horns and then complaining about the officiating, KU got smoked by a far superior team, giving the media a good “KU talked smack last year and made Texas mad, and stupid KU got killed for it. Serves them right.” Even though, and I say this as a blindly loyal fan, the offensive pass interference on the Charles Gordon’s big first down was a bad call, and Mangino was correct in saying, “You know what this is all about, right? BCS. That's what made the difference in a call in front of their bench. Dollar signs.”

Dollar signs. Plastics.

It doesn’t matter.

The biggest game of the year is on Saturday November 26 against the Iowa State Cyclones (7-3, 4-3). A win in that game sends the ‘Hawks to their second postseason appearance in three years. This may be pedestrian to schools like Michigan, or Alabama, but for a school that has been to a total of 9 bowl games, it would be a bit meaningful.

Monday night news came out of Manhattan, Kansas that makes this game even bigger. The old man of the plains Bill Snyder will step down at KSU, leaving a bit of uncertainty in that program and certainly not helping the Wildcats' recruiting for this year or next. KU has a chance to put itself into a good situation to be a player in the Big 12 North Division for the decade ahead. Now, a loss doesn’t totally kill us. But a win would be HUGE, like Mangino huge.

The postseason is big for several reasons. First, it allows the team an extra month to practice, which means the off-season will be that much shorter. This is crucial for KU going into a transition year next year. The talent level, in my opinion, will be as good as it’s been in Lawrence since the mid-90s (not saying much), but it’s young and inexperienced talent. Outside of the pressures of the regular season, those practices could be used to work the hell out of the young guys and get them ready for spring practice. Linebacker Mike Rivera will be a sophomore and needs to start thinking about how he will replace the playmaking and leadership of the trio of departing senior linebackers Banks Floodman, Kevin Kane, and Nick Reid. On offense, quarterback Kerry Meier and wide receiver Marcus Herford (who will be a redshirt freshman and a sophomore respectively) have to be ready to go from day one; this extra month could be crucial for them.

Secondly, it gives the program momentum in terms of recruiting. With uncertainty at Kansas State and Missouri (Gary Pinkel can’t last too long losing to KU every year) the time is ripe for KU to start picking up recruits over those two teams. A win in a bowl on television, along with the victory over Nebraska that got nice play in the media should propel KU to a level of respectability with coaches and young players that they have not had before.

Finally, it means a lot in terms of money. It would help Lew Perkins, the money-grubbing Kansas athletic director, raise those millions he’s looking for to build a state of the art football facility, which is absolutely needed to stay up with Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, and the rest of the Big 12. Interest would go up, and ticket sales would go up.

Dollar signs.

The game will also tell us a lot about Mangino. A win solidifies his job and makes everyone rest easy during the off-season, feeling good about the personnel running the team. It would also give the program needed continuity, which helps the current players and with getting young players into the program. A loss will make everyone think about the listless offensive performances in losses to a bad K-State team in Manhattan and a somewhat resurgent Oklahoma team in Arrowhead.

What about the game itself? Having seen Iowa State play, hmm, zero times, the only thing I could do is read about their past games and compare scores, which is about useless. Regarding KU, I would be surprised if they came out and laid an egg like they did in the KSU and OU games earlier in the year. They are undefeated in Lawrence this year, with wins over Mizzou and Nebraska (two bowl teams). Should be a perfect chance to make a statement about the quality of the program.

Everyone get on board, it's Poulan Weed Eater Bowl time! God knows we'll need something to get excited after Arizona hands us our ass in Maui...

Previous Kansas Bowl Appearances…
’48 Orange Bowl KU 20 Ga Tech 14
’61 Bluebonnet Bowl KU 33 Rice 7
’69 Orange Bowl Penn State 15 KU 14
’73 Liberty Bowl NC State 31 KU 18
’75 Sun Bowl Pitt 33 KU 19
’81 Hall of Fame Bowl Miss. St. 10 KU 0
’93 Aloha Bowl KU 23 BYU 10
’95 Aloha Bowl KU 50 UCLA 30
’03 Tangerine Bowl NC State 56 KU 26