Kansas – Kansas State football rivalry might experience change

Kansas versus Kansas State football hasn’t always been much of a rivalry but with both programs switching coaches, maybe it could develop into one.

The Kansas Jayhawks and Kansas State Wildcats do not have the most storied football programs in the country. The Sunflower Showdown hasn’t ever been much of a showdown at all, despite the fact the two schools have played 116 times.

Since 1991, two years after the arrival of legendary and recently retired coach Bill Snyder, the match-up has been dominated by Kansas State. The Wildcats won 23 of the 28 games between the two schools in those years. Snyder was only at the helm of two of those losses as the other three came when he retired the first and Ron Prince was the coach from 2006-2008.

In fact, Snyder was 23-4 versus the Jayhawks in his 27 years in Manhattan. Despite that dominance, Kansas still enjoys a significant lead in the head-to-head play, 65-46-5. Before Snyder’s era at Kansas State, the Jayhawks had a 58-23-5 advantage over the Wildcats (one win is disputed, with each counting claiming a victory in 1980).

With each school changing coaches this off-season, what direction will this in-state rivalry go? Kansas is coming off one of their worst periods in school history. Since winning the first five games of the 2009 campaign, the Jayhawks have gone through five different coaches (including an interim) with a record of 18-97. They have lost at least nine games every year for the past nine seasons.

According to Sports-Reference, Kansas State won just 121 total games from 1907 through 1988 before Bill Snyder. Since then, Snyder won 333, and Prince another 17. Kansas State played in just one bowl game before 1989, and another under Prince, but went to 19  under Snyder.

Now a new era is coming for this rivalry. The Kansas football program has hired National Championship-winning coach Les Miles to try to turn their losing ways around. The Kansas State football program is reportedly going with Chris Klieman (currently of North Dakota State) as their next head coach and he’ll now have the unenviable task of replacing a legend.

The Wildcats tried this in 2006, and it didn’t work out very well. Ron Prince went just 17-20 in his three-year stint at Kansas State.

It seems impossible to find anyone who will be able to develop players at the level Snyder did and will Klieman be able to keep Kansas State as competitive as they have been for the last 29 years (the Wildcats were 1-10 in Snyder’s first season)?

Can Les Miles get players good enough to compete in the Big 12 conference, let alone get the Kansas football program to the level it can return to some bowl games?

Can Miles, or anyone else for that matter, overcome the abysmal recent history that is plaguing Kansas?

Miles has the name recognition and the history of challenging in the SEC and nationally. There might not be anyone out there of a similar ilk to Miles for the Wildcats.

Will Klieman be able to maintain and maybe improve on Coach Snyder’s successes or will the program revert to its pre-Snyder lethargic history?

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Regardless, both Miles and Klieman will face huge hurdles. Fans of both schools (okay, maybe not K-State fans) would love to see this rivalry become relevant, not only for the sake of the Sunflower Showdown but as being impactful in the Big 12 and nationally.

Despite the last ten seasons, Kansas and Miles may have an easier path to success. Miles’ name and past successes alone should get him and his staff into some living rooms Kansas coaches wouldn’t have had access to previously.

Kansas State may not be as attractive without Snyder there, but Klieman has had success at North Dakota State.

At the very least, the Jayhawks under Miles will improve enough over the next the few years to see some bowl games and to win some conference games. Kansas State will need Chris Klieman to be a perfect hire to be able to do the same.

In 1987 these two schools played to a 17-17 tie. Kansas finished the season 1-9-1 and Kansas State 0-10-1. No one wants to see these schools return to those bleak days of the “Toilet Bowl.” Each school wants to be competitive enough to gain the upper hand in their rivalry and make the bragging rights something truly worth bragging about.

Both Kansas football and Kansas State football need wins with their offseason head coach hires. Neither school can afford to be the doormat in their rivalry or in the Big 12. Maybe this the dawn of a bright new age in the Sunflower Showdown.