The Sunflower Showdown is This Thursday in Lawrence

Kansas Jayhawks play Kansas State Wildcats in Lawrence

For the one hundredth year in a row, the University of Kansas Jayhawks will play the Kansas State University Wildcats in football this Thursday night in Lawrence. The Jayhawks got an extra week of practice after a bye giving them more time to work on game plan, or go into a severe depression after getting run out of Waco, TX last Saturday by the Baylor Bears. The Jayhawks are 2-3 overall, and 0-1 in the Big 12. The Wildcats come into this one licking wounds of their own having been abused at home by the Nebraska Cornhuskers. As bad as Kansas has looked this season, you can always throw out the record books when it comes to the "Sunflower Showdown" (God, what a stupid name). I would even say they have a chance.

The all time series record between these two fine institutions is 65 for KU, 37 for K-State, and 5 ties. More recently the series has been pretty even having split the last eight meetings, but KU has won the last three meetings in Lawrence. Kansas State has turned in the better body of work thus far this season, but has not ventured past the friendly confines of Bill Snyder Family Stadium, this will be the first road test of the year for the Wildcats. Vegas has the Cats favored by 2.5 points. I'd lay the points in this one, Kansas State wins by a touchdown.

The game will be widely televised on Fox Sports Net regional carriers at 6:30PM Thursday Night, although I can't imagine it will have a large audience outside the State of Kansas.

K-State vs. Nebraska Could Decide the North

Stop if you've heard this before: Nebraska and Kansas State have a big game that will likely decide the North title. No, it isn't 1997, 2001 or last year. The winner of tonight's K-State Nebraska will once again gain an inside track to making it to the Big 12 title game in Dallas.

K-State got to this point (undefeated and first in the North standings) the way it always does under Bill Snyder - running the ball, controlling the clock and not making mistakes. While the cats haven't beaten anyone impressive, they have executed on both sides of the ball all year long and should contend for the North in a weak year for the Big 12.

Most insiders predict Nebaska to win this game and the North, and for good reason. The Huskers finally have a playmaker under center in Taylor Martinez, and its offense has looked explosive at times this season. Despite losing all-world DT Ndamukung Song to the NFL, the defense is in typical Bo Pelini form.

Nebraska appears to be the better team from top to bottom, but don't count out the Wildcats. K-State has a hall-of-fame coach and will feed off of what should be a great home crowd. The game should remind us of the great Nebraska vs. Kansas State matchups from the late 90's and early 2000's. The winner of this game gains a big inside track to the North title, and with the Big 12 South being down, a shot at a Big 12 crown and BCS berth is not out of the question.