If you have followed sports for any length of time, you have probably heard coaches and players say about their rival, “It’s not a rivalry if it is not competitive.” I somewhat agree but mostly disagree with that sentiment. The University of Kansas and Kansas State University have always been fierce rivals, no matter how good or bad the sports programs happen to be. If I had my way, K-State would beat KU by 50 points for 50 years in a row. I do not feel the same about schools that are not a rival. Convincingly beating your rival makes the win even more satisfying.

I looked up the definition of “rival,” in the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

“One of two or more striving to reach or obtain something that only one can possess.”

and

“One striving for competitive advantage.”

While K-State has other “rivals” in athletics, KU is absolutely their main “rival.” Win the annual football game, and it becomes part of your recruiting pitch to entice recruits to play football at your school. Dominate your rival, and it is an easy decision for recruits from the state of Kansas to pick your school to play football. K-State has dominated in-state recruiting for a long time, partly because of its dominance over Kansas on the football field. K-State has won 28 of the last 33 games against Kansas. Kansas has not beaten K-State in football since November 1, 2008. That is 5,834 days. For some perspective on the recent dominance in this series, the last time the University of Kansas beat K-State on the football field…

-George W Bush was President of the United States. Neither Barack Obama, Donald Trump, nor Joe Biden have seen Kansas beat K-State on the football field during their Presidencies.

-The Apple iPad did not exist.

-Netflix streaming did not exist.

-Uber did not exist.

-Instagram did not exist.

-Air fryers did not exist.

-Venmo did not exist.

-The Android smartphone was a newborn. Think of that on Saturday when you are watching the game and look down at your phone during commercials to look up statistics, get injury updates, or see what people are saying on social media.

-Twitter was two years old.

-Air BnB did not exist.

-Patrick Mahomes was 13 years old.

-Miley Cyrus released “Party in the USA” at the age of 16.

-“Iron Man” was newly released. Since that time, the MCU has produced 34 films.

-The TV hit “Modern Family” had not yet premiered.

-Nobody had heard of Sully Sullenberger, the man who landed a US Air flight on the Hudson River after both engines failed.

-Tom Brady had three Super Bowl wins, the same number as Patrick Mahomes has at the moment.

-Lebron James had zero NBA championships.

Yep, a lot can happen in 15 years. Can K-State make it 16 in a row against Kansas on Saturday? The Wildcats lead in every major statistical category over the Jayhawks except one: passing yards allowed. But KU isn’t great in that area, either. K-State has a significant edge in total offense, total defense, rushing offense, passing offense, and rushing defense. Kansas may get enough yards through the air to keep the game close by halftime, but K-State should pull away in the second half to get a comfortable win. K-State 41 Kansas 21.