VC: Happy 150th Sunflower State!

Happy Birthday, Sunflower State!

Make that, Happy 150th! And I bet I know how you're going to celebrate! Yep, I heard there was going to be a party Saturday night. Last I heard only 16,300 invitations were mailed. Unfortunately, the guest list only includes the fans of the Crimson and Blue.

But it is fitting that Kansas and Kansas State renew its storied basketball rivalry in the building that has seen many classic battles in its seven decades of housing Jayhawk basketball. Allen Fieldhouse will be the site of Saturday's 6 p.m. matchup that has lost some of its luster since K-State is off to a 2-4 start in Big XII Conference play. Yet when two rivals square off, you never know what will materialize.

My first KU-KSU memory was staged in the Phog. Ed Nealy, a protege Jack Hartman-type player from Bonner Springs, calmly stepped to the free-throw line with one second left and KU leading K-State by a point. With arms waving behind the basket, Nealy ripped the cords on both charity tosses to send the Wildcats home with a victory.

Tomorrow's game probably won't be decided with one second left. In fact, I've already paid off a bet to a KU buddy of mine. I fully expect KU to win tomorrow and again in Manhattan on Valentine's Day. KU is the better team, although the gap is narrowing between the two programs. Hey, I remember a 90-45 shellacking in this series just a few years ago.

For the first time since 1991, the Sunflower Showdown will be played on Kansas Day. Add the Sesquicentennial to the mix as well as the ESPN College GameDay crew and you have yourself a Kansas-type party in the making.

"That was on purpose," Big XII senior associate commissioner Tim Allen told The Wichita Eagle on Friday. "Having the game that day for Kansas Day was a very natural, easy, yea-let's-do-that fit. Everyone was excited about it."

Allen should know. He grew up in Chanute and graduated from K-State before taking a job in the Big Eight Conference office when it was located in downtown Kansas City, Mo.

Allen was one of the Big XII officials who pushed for ESPN to send its GameDay show to take part in the Kansas Day festivities. GameDay's first segment is at 9 a.m. Central Saturday.

ESPN, according to The Wichita Eagle, informed the Big XII it wanted to broadcast two games in its marquee, primetime Saturday slot. ESPN said it wanted those games to take place in Lawrence and Waco.

When the league schedule was announced and Jan. 29 fell on a Saturday, the league recommended KU-KSU. ESPN gave its blessing for KU-KSU in addition to another primetime game tomorrow with Texas at Baylor.

Also, the KU-KSU women play at 2 p.m. Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum.

"When we found out the dates, we said this is the day we want," Allen told The Wichita Eagle, "because it means something special to the state. It was one of those things that was on our radar, and then it all fell into place."

ESPN director of programming and acquisitions Nick Dawson told The Wichita Eagle that ESPN tries its best to oblige requests from a conference like the Big XII.

"It may be hard to grab national viewers just because of something like that, but that was certainly a factor in why the Kansas-Kansas State game is on the date that it is," Dawson said.

VC looks back at Tyrel Reed's road from Eureka to KU!

Ten years ago next month, a 6th grader from Eureka literally carried his basketball team to the Woodson Masonic Lodge #121 4th-5th-6th Grade Basketball Championship at nearby Toronto, Kan.

9/11 was still seven months away, but Tyrel Reed assaulted the record books of this tournament that has taken place for area boys teams since 1984. Records that I'm sure will never be broken again.

A few years ago before kids in our household, I assembled some of the Lodge tournament scorebooks and compiled some individual stats. It is mind-boggling to fathom what Tyrel accomplished as a 5th and 6th grader. These are just a few of the records he still holds:

1) single-season scoring leader (67 points). Second place is 41;
2) most field goals made in 3-game tourney (23);
3) single-game scoring leader (25);
4) most 3-pointers in tournament (8) and game (3);
5) most field goals in game (9).

And if that's not enough, how about an 87-percent free throw shooter in a tourney (13-for-15).

"One of the main things that I remember is how we had such a hard time getting enough kids in his class to play," said Tyrel's biggest fan, his Dad, Stacy. "So we recruited some younger kids such as the Hayes boy who I think was in 4th grade to play."

Eureka, which won the title that year, scored 82 points as a team in the three games. Tyrel poured in 67 of them. In Eureka's first game that tourney, Tyrel bucketed 24 of his team's 26 points.

"Probably my fondest memory is how Ty wanted everyone on the team to touch the ball and at least put up a shot attempt during the games," said Stacy, who at the time was the coach at Eureka High. "Along with that I do remember how proud those kids were when they won the tournament."

"In the more than 25 years that we have held the Masonic Basketball Tournament, we have had a number of very good young athletes who went on to have extremely good high school and college careers," Tournament organizer Jeff Sowder, a Past Grand Master of Kansas Masons, said. "Tyrel was by far the best of them all."

"Ty was a kid that was highly competitive, but loved to make his buddies happy," Stacy said. "From the standpoint of these were his classmates and he was around them every day, he truly wanted them to have some success."

Sowder distinctly remembers two particular plays that stand out even 10 years later.

"The first Tyrel was dribbling the ball outside the top of the circle as time was running down at the end of the first half," he said. "With just a few seconds remaining, he quickly took a couple of dribbles to the foul line as his defender closely guarded him - then quickly stepped back to just outside the 3-point line and calmly sank a 3-pointer as the buzzer went off."

There was more.

"Tyrel was dribbling full speed down the right side of the court," Sowder continued. "There were two defenders between him and the basket. At the right foul line elbow, he split the defenders - switched the ball to his left hand - took one more dribble and laid the ball off the backboard with his left hand and into the basket."

Jeff, Tom Hibbard and I - who have comprised the 3-man officiating crew for 20 years - couldn't believe what we had just seen.

"While we had all seen this play at the college and professional level, our jaws dropped as we had just seen this done by a 6th grader," Sowder said.

Ty, who was born in Eureka, and his family moved to Burlington a year later. Stacy took the boys basketball job at Burlington. Things now really took off for the Reed family.

Tyrel played MAYB ball until the end of his freshman year when he moved on to AAU ball the remainder of his high school career.

"Ty excelled at athletics at an early age," Stacy remembered, "but I would say when he started 7th grade I thought he had a chance to play basketball somewhere in college. I didn't know until about his freshman into his sophomore year what level that would be."

"I first remember Tyrel as a 'gym rat little kid' who was always around the high school practices where his Dad was the coach," Sowder said. "He would dribble and shoot on the side goals while practice was taking place and as soon as practice was over he was on the big court playing 3-on-3 or 1-on-1 games against the high school players."

Ty naturally got his basketball abilities from his Dad, who was a standout cager himself in his prep days as a Hoisington Cardinal. He started out looking at K-State and Colorado State, but an ankle injury forced him to alter his plans.

"I had screws put into my ankle during my senior year," he said. "Once I was injured, I lost out on quite a few scholarships. But everything worked out fine for me."

Stacy was Ty's high school coach.

"His record in high school was 96-4 and one of the games we lost he was out with an ankle injury," Stacy noted.

Burlington was nearly unstoppable Ty's junior year when two Division I athletes donned the Wildcat uniform. Senior Geoff Reeve signed a letter-of-intent with Cornell.

Then came Ty's senior year, 2006-07, when college coaches like KU's Bill Self and North Carolina's Roy Williams were making themselves known in Coffey County's county seat. The distractions weren't bad, Stacy said, except on game nights.

"Most of Ty's recruitment went through me and we set most of the meetings up with coaches during the morning when he would do the workouts," Stacy said. "Ty had a little over 50 Division I offers, but we narrowed them down to 6 or 7 by the beginning of the senior year."

Those fortunate few included North Carolina, Missouri, Oklahoma, Stanford, Missouri State and Kansas.

The chance of playing close to home and earning a national championship lured him to KU. His freshman year, Mario Chalmers brought Jayhawk Nation to their feet with his game-tying 3-pointer in the national championship game against Memphis. Afterward, an emotional scene took place when father and son embraced as the Jayhawks celebrated their school's third national title since the 1950s.

"I told him to enjoy the ride and try to win another one," Stacy remembers telling his son. "They can never take it away from you."

As for the old man?

"It was one of the most unbelievable experience I've had in my life! Wow," Stacy said.

Stacy gave up coaching at Burlington once Ty arrived in Lawrence. He still teaches there but wanted the flexibility so he could follow his son for four years and not worry about drawing up X's and O's as the Wildcat mentor.

"It probably has been some of the most special times in my life," Stacy said, whose son will play his final game at storied Allen Fieldhouse in two months. "I have had a front row seat so to speak on watching my son mature and grow from a little guy to the man he is today. KU is such a special place that I can't imagine him anywhere else."

Ty's future involves one of two things.

"Ty has been admitted into med school at KU," Stacy said, whose son will major in Physical Therapy. "He plans on either playing somewhere next year or going to med school whichever works out best."

"It has been 10 years since Tyrel played in our small local tournament," Sowder noted. "He has had great success since then and now we all hope we get to watch him win one more national championship at KU."

Not bad for a boy who got his start in Eureka! That, my friends, is Powerful Stuff! .

Van Cleave Hosts Roundtable Talkin' Cats/Hawks Roundball!!!

Now that the calendar has been turned to January, we can put away the footballs and concentrate on that sport James Naismith perfected so many years ago.

January in these parts can only mean one thing...basketball and even better, college basketball. They're ready to wave some wheat at the Phog and do some head-bobbing to the Wabash Cannonball at the Bram.

Today I call upon six of my friends to tell you why their team wins the Big XII championship. Nicholas Caldwell, Bren Fisher and Patrick Spellman give their top three reasons why the Jayhawks bring home more conference championship hardware . To tell you why Kansas State knocks off Kansas for the top spot are Derek Bledsoe, Alex Reinecke and Paden Town.

A little about our ESPN roundtable. Caldwell is a student at KU and hails from Shawnee Mission Northwest High where he was a medalist in the 6A state wrestling tournament a year ago. Fisher is on the Pittsburg State golf team and competed in the Kansas Amateur last summer. Spellman attends Hutchinson Community College where he hopes to walk on the baseball team.

Bledsoe played football at Kansas Wesleyan this fall and knows something about championships...he's a Silver Lake High grad. Reinecke attends K-State and graduated from Greensburg High in 2007 - three weeks after the Greensburg Tornado. Town is a December K-State graduate in Music. He and his sousaphone were in Oklahoma City and Salt Lake City last March during K-State's Elite Eight run.

Conference action gets going Saturday with five conference games: K-State at Oklahoma State, Missouri at Colorado, Baylor at Texas Tech, A&M at Oklahoma and Iowa State at Nebraska. KU and Texas have nonconference tilts this weekend with KU-Michigan and UConn-UT on tap.

The Boyz in Bristol are ready. Lights, Camera, Action guys. We're only 10 weeks from hearing the CBS Orchestra that preludes each NCAA Tournament game which leads us to the Road to the Final Four which is in Houston.

Roundtable, the floor is yours!

Derek Bledsoe: #1 K-State's Bench. Frank Martin's deep and productive bench is sure to outlast anything KU can throw at em. K-State has 10 players that average over 10 minutes, allowing the Wildcats to keep fresh bodies on the floor at all times. #2 Frank Martin: Frank Martin is simply a better coach than Bill Self. As last year's Big XII Coach of the Year and impressive tournament play, Frank Martin looks to simply out-coach the Jayhawks. #3 Fan Base: Everybody knows us purple-blooded Wildcat fans are better than those Chickenhawks and we travel well too. K-State has a few impressive wins on the road that can be attributed in part by an excellent fan base. EMAW!

Nicholas Caldwell: #1 Tradition. When you are a school that prides yourself on being the best, being the best comes natural. It's like shooting a free throw, how good you are is directly related to how much time you spend working on it. We have spent so much time at the top it has become who we are, it is in our blood. #2 Chemistry. We as a team work together and have presence on the court. Without that we wouldn't be a team. We don't have to have just one player either to be good. We can still win without Morris or any other player for that matter. We don't rely solely on one person to be a playmaker, because everyone on the team solo or as a collective group is a playmaker. #3 Selby. He is the next best thing. Pullen is thought to be the best in the Big XII, well check again. Selby could and will be the best. He not only can make a shot, but he is developing as a leader, something Spradling should take some notes on. Selby is going to be the face of KU as he develops in his time here.

Bren Fisher: #1 Depth. They can win the Big XII, they have a lot of size and can go just as deep if not deeper than most teams. #2 Experience. The starting five, with exception of Selby, have all won a title and know how to do it! #3 Bill Self. The best coach in my opinion, and he knows how to win with whatever kids he has!

Alex Reinecke: #1 Athletic. K-State is as athletic as anyone in the Big XII and their ceiling is virtually limitless. With players such as Wally Judge and Rodney McGruder, who have shown just recently how high their potential really goes, along with Jamar Samuels adding some very impressive minutes, the Cats are very capable of living up to pre-season expectations. #2 Jacob Pullen. After floating through several preseason games like some fairy in la-la land, Jake decides to throw his leadership role aside, and along with Curtis Kelly, violate NCAA rules. IF Jake can get his act together and become the player he once was, K-State will have every chance in the world to win the Big XII this season. #3 Defense Never Rests. If K-State learns how to play that same tenacious, swarming defense they played throughout conference play last season, they will win the Big XII. Frank Martin teams never win pretty. They are always rough, tough and scrappy ballgames that throw other teams out of rhythm. It all starts on the defensive end with the deny, deny, deny mentality that makes teams nervous, frustrated and angry. If this team can learn how to play that type of defense again and cut out the lax weakside help defense that Frank's teams rely on, K-State will win the Big XII.

Patrick Spellman: #1 Morris Twins. They bring a big size down low but are quicker than most big men in the nation. The thing that makes them even deadlier is that they have the ability to step back and take the mid-range jumper, slam it to the middle or pop the three. Marcus leads the team in scoring at just over 15 PPG shooting an incredible 60.5% from the field with his Markeiff leading the team in rebounding. #2 Good looks/good shots. The one thing that I believe KU does better than the ENTIRE nation is passing, when you're good at passing you get good looks at the basket. As of right now the Jayhawks are ranked 3rd in the country averaging 18.9 assists per game, but passing leads to scoring which the Hawks average 84.5 points a game putting them 6th in the nation. #3 Selby Nation Baby! This kid as some amazing talent! I think there is some more meshing that needs to occur in order for him to reach his full potential. The nice thing is that he has only played 5 games, so only look for the offense to get stronger when they get more playing time with him. As of now, Selby leads the team in 3-point shots and is right behind Tyrel Reed from the line. Look for this kid to get better as the season continues!

Paden Town: #1 Jacob Pullen. Jacob is the anchor to this team. Our senior leadership is in place and the rest of this young team has a good leader to follow. The Cats hit a road bump with the brief suspension of Pullen and senior Curtis Kelly. However, this mishap is turning into a blessing for the Wildcats forcing the underclassmen to step up and play to their potential. #2 Frank Martin. The Wildcat Nation has come to LOVE our head coach. The rest of college basketball sees him as a hot-tempered loose cannon. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Frank has the passion, discipline and the ability to see a player's true potential. Frank has a passion for the game of basketball, which is necessary in today's day and age. His players see this passion and take it as their own. #3 The Fans. Announcers from all over the country have called Bramlage Coliseum (Octagon of Doom) one of the loudest places to play basketball. Almost rivaling that of Allen Fieldhouse. Beware the Phog but also beware the Angriest Fans in America.

Thanks guys! Now I'll tell you who may be the most valuable player to each team that has barely been mentioned by our experts. Tyrel Reed, Mr. Kansas Basketball from 2007 as a Burlington Wildcat, may be the man who carries KU to a Final Four in Houston. I've seen this kid since his days in Eureka and he has been able to post up and knock home the 3 with the best of them. And for K-State, it's Will Spradling. I saw highlights of Spradling's days at Shawnee Mission South last night during halftime of the K-State game. If Spradling can continue to take over as the man at point guard, great things do await the Wildcats! .

Chris Phillips Calls His Shot!

"Champions are made from something deep inside them, a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last- minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and will. But the will must be stronger than the skill." Muhammad Ali. This quote will encapsulate the Chiefs season after their win on February 6, 2011 in Arlington, TX.



Yes, I know it is absolutely taboo and a bit mad to go out on a limb and predict the Kansas City Chiefs will win the Super Bowl this year. Las Vegas futures had the Chiefs 35/1 to win the Bowl. Coach Todd Haley has said on multiple occasions, “Don’t even think about the Playoffs. We are going to take it one game at a time.” Of course this is the right mindset for any NFL organization. However, deep down in their heart of hearts every Coach, player, and fan is looking for the sweet glory of victorious bliss when their team hoists the Lombardi trophy. Thanks to the hard work, genius strategy, and key coaching/player acquisitions this season, the Kansas City Chiefs are the proud owners of the AFC West Title. In this league, anything can happen in the Postseason. Any team can win on any given Saturday/Sunday and the Chiefs have their Golden Ticket! I don’t know about you, but this was the best Christmas present I got this year and I’m damn proud of it.



Coming back to reality, it’s looking like the Chiefs may host the New York Jets. Based on the other options for a Wild Card game, I have to say this would be my choice. The Jets are a tough team with a great defense. Rex Ryan has done well this year with his team. I have to admit, I thought Hard Knocks featuring the Jets on HBO was pretty funny this year. However, they have won a lot of close games and the blueprint is out on how to beat these guys. If Rex, Schottenheimer, and the rest of the Jets crew sleep on the Chiefs, IN ARROWHEAD, they will be in for a rude awakening. Old Rex needs to keep his wigs tucked away in the drawer, keep his mouth shut, and lay off the M&M’s. Coach Haley has the Chiefs playing outside of themselves right now and deserves Coach of the Year. With Matt Cassel coming back eleven days from surgery to trounce the Rams, he has created a do or die bond with his team. His all around play has only gotten better as the season progressed. This tells me he needed more time to gel with his new team. You’ve got to love a QB who runs the ball that few extra yards to get the first down fresh out of the hospital. He is all heart and everyone knows it. Matt Cassel should have received a Pro Bowl selection this year. However, this won’t be a problem when they go to the big show.



Conclusion: The Jets are good but the Chiefs win because they have the will and skill.



All roads to the AFC Championship go through Foxboro. Is it possible to win against Belichick and the New England Patriots on the road? Huh, tough question. Your head and the stat sheet would say unequivocally NO! A heart that pumps Chiefs Blood would say Yes! Let’s not forget that Chiefs are engulfed with past New England players and coaches. If there is a team that knows how Belichick’s mastermind works, it’s the Kansas City Chiefs. Haley, Crennel, and Weiss would have to pull out their bag of tricks to pull off this miracle. However, nobody thought we would beat San Diego on that magical Monday night game to start the season either. Where there is a will, there is a way.



The odds are stacked against the Chiefs going to the Super Bowl much less winning it. Predictions are a dime a dozen. In an earlier post, I predicted the Chiefs would be in an AFC shootout with Oakland the last game of the season to decide the AFC West. Most analysts called the San Diego Chargers to Go to the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season. We’ve heard grumbles that Matt Cassel wasn’t worth the money this season as well. If we were right all of the time, we would be sitting next to Chris Berman on Monday Night Countdown. As it is, the love for the game keeps us hoping and guessing at what’s to come. All be it, with a lot of biased towards the Kansas City Chiefs. That’s what I love about hard work, clean living, and surrounding yourself/organization with good people. It eventually pays off. Hunt, Pioli, and Haley are a true testament to this.



Predictions and judgments aside, we have many things to be proud of this year, a Phenomenal Chiefs Team that is all Class, an AFC West Crown, and a shot at the Lombardi.



Big Props to Jamaal Charles, Dwayne Bowe, and Brian Waters for making the Pro Bowl. Cassel should have been there with only 5 Interceptions so far this season. Respect will be paid for his performance in February.



Conclusion: Kansas City Chiefs vs. New Orleans Saints Super Bowl XLV.



Chiefs win 35 – 32



Chiefs have a lot of skill. But their Will is stronger than their skill.

What a Year! by MP

Wow! What a year 2010 has been. It is hard to believe it is almost over. Where does time go? What a year in the world of sports too.

The Saints won the bowl, Tiger melted down personally and professionally, the Royals were terrible again, the Lakers and Celts were epic, the Dukies won but robbed Butler, The NCAA pulled about 75 unbelievably dumb moves in college football, and the Chiefs.....YEAH THE CHIEFS....are hosting a playoff game!

So we can talk about some of my terrible predictions, I own them and cannot hide. But boy, am I glad I was wrong about the Chiefs and picking them to go 8-8!

For the record here are the highlights and low-lights of my prognostication this year: I was not even in the neighborhood in the Golf major winner category. VC cleaned my clock. I also picked the Celtics, but truth be told, that was a heart pick not one from the head. I didn't attempt baseball, but who had the Giants? I woefully was wrong about Texas Tech football winning the Big 12 South....and of course the Chiefs going 8-8, taking a few shots at Matt Cassel along the way. I did tell you that New Orleans, Chicago, The NY Giants, Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks were in the playoff pic in the NFC, and they are! I also said OU and Texas would be down in football, also correct. I believe I also told you how the Kansas Jayhawks will be superior to the Wildcats from Manhattan in hoops, but hey that is almost cherry-picking! The Chiefs however, are a different story....

What an unbelievable year for the Chiefs. Hats off to Todd Haley and all the Chiefs turning around a 4 win season last year to sit right now at 10-5, with a great chance at an 11-5 season after hosting the Raiders this coming Sunday. It looks like we will host the New York Jets in the first round of the playoffs, and that...is a winnable game! I cannot stand the loud mouth, HBO Hard Knocks, over-rated, over-hyped Jets. Mark Sanchez is terrible and of the options in the first round the Jets would be most favorable. The Chiefs, with a few bad losses aside, have played tough, mistake free football and are finally getting the notoriety they deserve! Hey, sorry about the Cassel shots...I still think the jury is out. He is a game manager and has done that well the entire year. We all saw what the alternative was with Brodie Croyle against the Chargers. I hope you are all as excited as I am for what is ahead....and this season is the tip of the iceberg!

Around the horn: I previously referenced the NCAA. How in the world do you deem it bad enough to suspend the Ohio State guys for 5 next year...but let them play in the Bowl game? Huh? Much like the "Scam" Newton deal....what a mess! Speaking of predictions....I like the Hogs over the Buckeyes in the Sugar and I like Auburn over Oregon in the BCS Championship game. NFL wise...I am nervous, but will stick with my original Super Bowl matchup...the Battle of the Birds...Falcons vs. Ravens! It is hoop season and the Jayhawks need some toughening up....they play to the level of every opponent, and haven't played anyone really tough yet. I watch them and worry about their lack of size. Seems to me they have to run a lot more if they are relying on the Morris twins in the post. Congrats to Dwyane Bowe, Jamaal Charles and Brian Waters for pro-bowl invites....and to COACH TODD HALEY SOON TO BE NFL COACH OF THE YEAR!!!

That is it for now....Go Chiefs....Go 'Hawks...and Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year!!!!

VC Talkin Big 12 Hoops!!!!

Most of the basketball teams who are left in the Big XII (or will it be the Big X??) Conference in 2011-12 are expected to change their non-conference scheduling.

And I can't say I blame them.

Their reasoning is simple. Teams like Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri will go from a 16-team conference slate to a round-robin format where each team plays a home-and-home against the other nine teams for a total of 18 games.

It used to be 14-2 would all but guarantee a team like KU the conference title. A year from now, it's possible 14 wins could still take the title only with four losses to boot!

"We put together a tough schedule with a few games that we still have to return," Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford recently told The Wichita Eagle. "I probably wouldn't have scheduled those games if I knew we were going to an 18-game league schedule. You're talking about 18 games against the best competition in the country. You can't kill yourself out of conference."

The majority of the conference coaches agree with Ford. In fact, nine of the 10 coaches told The Wichita Eagle they planned to downgrade the quality of future non-conference opponents.

"Those 18 games are going to be a grind, and when it's over your conference record is going to speak for itself,"Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said. "You've got to find a way, especially when you're a team like us, to get some wins early in the season and build some momentum before conference play."

This year, for instance, Big XII teams had 15 non-conference games. They scheduled tough competition or as we fans liked to call them, resume builders, that the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee would use next March to seed the tournament.

Starting next year, don't expect to see as many "Duke", "Arizona" and "UNLV" on these teams' schedules in November and December. You'll probably be seeing more Alcorn State and Alabama A&M on the dockets.

"You're increasing your games against high-major opponents by two," Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel told The Wichita Eagle. "You're going from 16 to 18. For teams like us in the south, now we're getting Kansas twice, Missouri twice, Kansas State twice. That makes things a lot more difficult. It could be like the Big East. It's definitely going to change the way we schedule."

"If you want to keep your number of hard games the same you may back off a little bit during your non-conference," KU coach Bill Self said told The Wichita Eagle. "Right now, our goal is to play six high-major games a year non-conference. So that number may go to four, that number may go to five.

"But I think very few schools will keep it at six, if that's their number. That's an awful lot. That would be 24 games of the 31, and then you've got the postseason tournaments. That's a pretty high-stress situation."

K-State's Frank Martin also figures to be pretty selective just like Self at KU. Martin may be trying to fill his 2011-12 schedule with the likes of Alcorn State as there are currently return games lined up against Virginia Tech, Alabama and Florida in addition to a December trip to Cancun, Mexico.

I just hope in the next couple of years Martin will seriously look at resuming the series against Wichita State. There is no reason a four-year contract couldn't be signed to get this rivalry started again. Play two games in Wichita, one at WSU and one at Intrust Arena, and two in Manhattan or better yet, how about this: sign a five-year contract, play four games as mentioned above but play the fifth at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. Can you imagine the crowds for that?

VC Goes Bowlin!

Back in August, on this very blog, I said the Kansas State Wildcats would go 7-5 this football season. I even made a friendly 1-dollar wager with good friend and K-State student Alex Reinecke, who said the Wildcats would finish 8-4. Reinecke was looking good until the game at Colorado. He and I texted several times that day as K-State jumped out to an early 14-3 lead only to see the Wildcats fall behind and eventually lose.

Last week's 49-41 track meet victory at North Texas cemented K-State's 7-5 record and their first bowl game since the 2006 Texas Bowl in Houston. One Facebook friend commented on my wallpost the Wildcats should decline any bowl game because of a horrendous defense. The pathetic defense is accurate. Declining a bowl game, unless there are NCAA sanctions involved, should never be an option for a college football team.

No coach will ever turn down 30 extra days of practice from late November to late December. That extra time is so beneficial as these teams start preparing for the 2011 season. While the bowl game itself is more for the fans, coaches and most of the players can start thinking about the goals they will implement next August. The seniors on the team, like K-State running back Daniel Thomas, can begin counting the greenbacks he will begin making this fall at the next level. Other seniors, a bowl game is a reward for four or maybe five years of blood, sweat and tears that were left behind on the practice and game fields.

I also told you back in August the Wildcats would play in the inaugural Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Two media outlets today - Topeka Capital-Journal and Kansas City Star - both are mentioning the Wildcats will end up in New York City. Early indications point to a KSU-Syracuse bowl game which would be a rematch of the Fiesta Bowl game a few years ago in Tempe when Donovan McNabb was Syracuse's QB.

"We're very interested in Kansas State," Pinstripe Bowl Executive Director Mark Holtzman told today's KC Star, "and they are interested in us. Kansas State is right on our radar."

Most of the bowl schedule will be announced after Saturday's conference championship games. The exception this week came from Cotton Bowl officials, who offered its slot to Texas A&M.

One thing is for certain...K-State, Baylor and Texas Tech are vying for the Pinstripe, Texas and TicketCity bowls. The TicketCity Bowl is another rookie bowl which is at 11 a.m. on New Year's Day in Dallas. The Texas Bowl has a 5 p.m. kick on Dec. 29. The Pinstripe Bowl is Dec. 30 at 1:20 p.m. Central.

Baylor, because it went 4-4 in conference play, is expected to land at the TicketCity Bowl. I have no problem with that selection. Baylor beat K-State head-to-head during the season. KSU and Tech both went 3-5 in conference play so the No. 6 bowl slot (TicketCity) should go to the No. 6 team (Baylor).

The Pinstripe Bowl picks seventh and Texas Bowl eighth. Because K-State fans travel well, I see the Wildcats going northeast. That leaves Tech fans traveling across state to Houston for that bowl.

"We're looking at all three (Big XII teams) very closely," Texas Bowl representative Zac Emmons told the Star. "I don't think we can make a bad decision."

The Texas Bowl will likely match someone like Texas Tech against Northwestern or Illinois.

"We're talking to our partners at ESPN, trying to find out what the best fit would be," Emmons said.

Here are the Big XII bowl projections by the Topeka Capital-Journal:

Insight Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Michigan, Dec. 28, Tempe, Ariz.

Texas Bowl: Baylor vs. Illinois, Dec. 29, Houston

Alamo Bowl: Big XII championship loser vs. Arizona, Dec. 29, San Antonio

Pinstripe Bowl: Kansas State vs. Syracuse, Dec. 30, New York

Holiday Bowl: Missouri vs. Washington, Dec. 30, San Diego

TicketCity Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Northwestern, Jan. 1, Dallas

Fiesta Bowl: Big XII champion vs. Stanford, Jan. 1, Glendale, Ariz.

Cotton Bowl: Texas A&M vs. LSU, Jan. 7, Arlington, Texas

I can't wait until Sunday when all of the bowl slots are filled and fans begin making their travel plans. I love it. It is the most wonderful time of the year.

I told you so!

Cats Chiefs and Things to be Thankful For....by MP

Happy Thanksgiving, basketball season, football playoff/bowl season, and best time of the year for sports season!

I have to start out talkin to you Cat fans out there. Pretty exciting start of the year!! The K-State hoop squad at week start was the #4 team in the country. They had beaten the likes of Va Tech and Presbyterian and entered the CBE Classic held at Sprint Center against Gonzaga. They looked good to me and much like last year, very tough on the boards and on the defensive end of the floor. They had their way with the Zags which pointed them toward a matchup with the #1 ranked Dukies. Wow #1 vs. #4 national TV and a bigtime matchup! Please keep in mind everyone, I am a 'Hawks fan but do not hate K-State. I actually detest Duke and was rooting against the Devils big time. Bottom line on the deal folks....it was never close and the Devils beat the Cats by 14 and may as well been 30. My assessment is unless the Cats get a lot tougher mentally, cut down on turnovers and bad shots and improve free throw shooting dramatically, they will not contend in the league or at the Big Dance. 11-23 from the stripe with 21 TO's is not the way you want to play against a team the caliber of Duke. Also, I am sorry to report that Jacob Pullen is overhyped and overrated. I know he averaged 24 in the tourney last year, but I see him as a good 2 guard, maybe 2nd team All Big 12?

Thanksgiving is a great time to remind ourselves to be thankful for the resurgence of the Kansas City Chiefs. A tough loss at Denver followed by a nice win at home against Arizona since I blogged you last!! I got a kick out of the boys on 810 radio on the way home from the Arizona game Sunday. Now Matt Cassel is a prolific QB because he has 18 TD's and 4 INT's and threw for over 400 with a 116 passer rating against the Donkey's?? I am very excited for the turnaround of the Chiefs, but if anyone thinks Matt Cassel is going to lead us anywhere big.....they are nuts! Look at the big timers today...Rivers, Rogers, Brees, Manning and Brady all make plays! They make big plays with their arms or by using their noggin. Phillip Rivers has had a different cast of WR's each game and it does not matter. All we hear about Cassel is that our receivers are slow or cannot get open or this or that. The game against Denver is a great example...early in the game we need a 3rd down and he is not even close. Denver gets up 35-0, DB's stay off the wide outs 10 yards and yeah, they let Cassel have the check downs that turned into big yards for the game. No one is saying Cassel is Rivers, but they are getting similar money! It is irritating to me because I can easily see that Cassel is a detriment to our success not a strength. He is a serviceable QB who manages the game, nothing more.

Anyway enough of that...it has been tough losing to Oakland and Denver back to back when the Raiders and Donks are not that great. It was a beautiful day this past Sunday at Arrowhead I was sure thankful to be there to see them rebound against the visiting Cards! The Chiefs while managing zero big plays and statistically being identical to Arizona, won 31-13. We still have a leg up on the division at 6-4. We head to Seattle this week and sorry all, I do not see us coming out with a win. Seattle and Denver are the 2 toughest places to play in the NFL and you caught the Denver game right? If we beat Oakland at home, Tennessee is doable at home with no QB, and maybe Denver at home or St. Louis on the road and that gets us to 9 wins baby! Definitely something to be proud of and thankful for!

A couple of other quick thoughts....Congrats Josh Hamilton AL MVP!! Bo Pelini....nice job...if you get those boosters upset with you for hammerin the only QB you have had there in 15 years and you will be looking for work elsewhere! Hoops wise Kentucky has a lot of talent but are very young. As this is written they are down 20 to a surprising UCONN team led by Kemba Walker who is a tough customer! The Jayhawks get Josh Selby back!! Even Dickie V is talking up KU with him at the PG! Speaking of Dickie V, I have always liked him....but year over year it becomes harder. He openly roots for Duke and it grates on me tremendously! Speaking of Dukies....Jay Bilas said something the other night and I thought it was great, as this too is another great frustration of mine. Speaking of the block/charge rule....which is butchered by every official in the game....Bilas said something to the effect of...it would be great to see it called if the guy gets knocked down, not if the guy falls down. How true and how many non calls would that make and what would happen if the Blue Devils quit getting all of those flops! Remember one of the great stats of all time...Duke one year made more free throws than their collective opponents attempted! Mind boggling! Happy Thanksgiving everyone and VC is right.....we need to appreciate all we have and those we love. I love my wife, son and family and am THANKFUL everyday!!! Thank you for reading everyone!!!

Top 10 Reasons VC is Thankful!

Move over Letterman, I got the Top 10 List today!

That's right, CBS. I know you've been waiting for this so the heck with shooting any more bull. Let's get right to it!

Van Cleave's Top 10 Reasons why I'm Thankful in 2010!

10. Basketball. Except for maybe Tobacco Road, there may not be a better spot for some great college basketball than the I-70 Corridor that includes Manhattan, Lawrence and Columbia. All three teams are in the top 15, all three figure to secure spots in the NCAA Tournament and could make a deep run in the tourney.

How cool would that be if the Wildcats, Jayhawks and Tigers end up in a three-way tie for the Big XII championship! It's doubtful, but possible, since each has four games against the other two. I say the regular-season champ goes 12-4, that's right four losses! That's why a tri-championship is possible.

9. I'm not a referee! Yep, I'm thankful I don't don the zebra outfits except one day a year when I help ref a 4-5-6 grade boys tournament for our Masonic Lodge fund-raiser each February. The pressures these men and women have of the up-tempo style that is prevalent in basketball or the spread formation in football that leads to a lot of passes...I have a greater respect for them.

8. Social networking. Holy Toledo, just what did we do 10 years ago to communicate? Heck, 5 years ago? But I hafta tell ya, this txt thing is pretty awesome. idk bout u, but i kinda like it! ttyl! haha lol

7. ESPN! I'm sitting here in a quiet house on Thanksgiving Eve, my family is not here, I have an NBA game on TV and I'm flipping it back and forth between the pro and college game that's offered on the ESPN family of networks. Now if we can just put a muzzle on Vitale we'd have it made!

6. Bill Snyder. Say what you want about the 71-year-old man who orchestrated the Miracle in Manhattan Part 1 and Part 2 is a work in progress. The man can coach. He can come up with some of the dangdest gameplans, just ask Texas coach Mack Brown this year. The Wildcats are going bowling, probably the Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium, but a bowl nonetheless.

5. Gary Pinkel. Some Mizzou fans were ready to run him out of Columbia after Tiger losses to Nebraska and Texas Tech. I'm sorry, MU can go 10-2 with a Border War Showdown win Saturday over Kansas. Win your bowl game, Cotton or Holiday, and that's 11 wins MU fans. That would be more than KU and K-State combined.

4. The Big XII will remain intact. It appeared back in May KU, K-State and Mizzou were being forced off the abandoned ship. Commissioner Dan Beebe didn't allow that to happen and we will proceed with 10 teams. Not sure what it'll be called, I like Big X, but 10 teams remained united.

3. Hail to the Chiefs! Isn't it nice to pick up a newspaper, flip to the sports section, check out the NFL standings and see who's atop the AFC West...the Kansas City Chiefs! I saw a game at Arrowhead back in September with Patterson. The loudness that day against the 49ers reminded me of the Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith-led teams in the 90s.

2. Thanks to you, our readers. Matt and I love sharing our passion which is writing about sports and putting it into words that the true sports fan can relate to. I've said it many times, Matt's forte is at the professional level, mine college and high schools. His strong suit, editorializing and going deep in discussion about the game. Me? I love getting into people's minds and thrive on the human interest side.

And the No. 1 reason why I'm thankful...I'm sure Patterson will agree. It's our wives and family. You seldom hear about them, they are the Lights, Camera, Action that keep us focused. Matt has Kim and 3-year-old boy Luke, who is a spittin image of his old man. Kim keeps Matt at bay, thanks Kim! I've tried all these years but it took a strong-willed woman to step in and take charge. Same thing in our household where Denise has to put up with a lot of 5 a.m. wake-up calls. Throw in 8-year-old triplet girls in Hannah, Hope and Addison the score is always 4-1 in our household.

Yep, we are thankful. My motto here is Celebrating Life Through Sports. Without a great wife and family, that's not possible. Thanks Denise, thanks Kim! You're the best!

Happy Thanksgiving 2010!

VC Makes a Willis Reed Like Return to the Blog!

Patterson has threatened to cut my pay in half if I didn't get an article so Boss Man, this Blog's for you!

I've been on the road a lot lately promoting our student loan/scholarship program that I am glad to be a part of at the Kansas Masonic Foundation. I've met many wonderful counselors who in 2010 do not wear the same counseling hats they did 30 years ago when I was a teen. Due to budget cuts and teen pressures, counselors typically don't even have time to fill their coffee cups once they walk in the school doors.

Imagine showing up at Yates Center High School like I did a few years ago. It's a Monday morning, around 9, when I stop to visit with the counselor. I'm told she won't be available because over the weekend a senior boy committed suicide because his girlfriend broke up with him. She was now counseling young people along with area counselors that were called in from Eureka, Iola and Burlington.

Or at Northern Heights recently. Northern Heights, the first Kansas high school to consolidate over 40 years ago, is located near Emporia. A couple of months ago, three teens were driving near Americus when their truck rolled after swerving to miss an oncoming vehicle. Three precious young lives were lost. The counselor there told me two days later it was the worst day of his professional life.

One day this past week I visited seven high schools in the Manhattan area. Two counselors I never got to meet that day because they were busy dealing with crisis situations in their school.

These people bring passion to their jobs. One example is Angelo at Shawnee Mission Northwest. I was at a financial aid night there this past week. About 150 people were there. When he started the program by introducing the main speaker and me, the enthusiasm spilled out of his mouth. Dickie Vitale I'm not, but Angelo's energy immediately connected inside my body and my Vitalism was ready to explode by the time I got the microphone.

Sometimes counselors grieve for their own brothers and sisters. Dan Roberts, a man I called a friend as he was counselor at Chase County and Hartford high schools, was killed one year go when he had a heart attack while driving south of Emporia.

Thank you counselors for all you do! Without you, young people would not be able to play sports, march in the band and enjoy all the extracurricular activities that are offered to young people. Good stuff as we Celebrate Life Through Sports!

* * * * *

As I predicted on this site back in August, the K-State Wildcats may be going bowling in New York next month.

The Kansas City Star reported this week the Pinstripe Bowl would love to have the Wildcats playing in their Dec. 30 game at Yankee Stadium.

K-State, 6-4 heading into Saturday's game at Colorado, is already bowl-eligible. It will be K-State's first bowl game since 2006. Only Baylor has had a longer drought of no bowl games among Big XII teams.

Pinstripe Bowl Executive Director Mark Holtzman made it clear who was being targeted the most.

"If it was today, it would be Kansas State," Holtzman told The Star. "And we would be thrilled by it."

Of the eight bowl games affiliated with the Big XII, the Pinstripe Bowl picks seventh. Of the seven conference teams that are now bowl eligible, K-State has the fewest number of wins.

It was reported Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Iowa State and Texas are also on the Pinstripe's radar. However, only A&M is currently bowl-eligible. A&M has Nebraska and Texas left; Iowa State closes out with Missouri and Texas ends up with Central Florida and A&M. K-State fans, you need to root for Mizzou to beat Iowa State but probably more importantly, A&M to beat Texas.

I think K-State will play in one of two bowls: Pinstripe or Holiday. K-State's other game left is at North Texas on Nov. 27. If K-State wins both games, an 8-4 record should land them in San Diego at the Holiday Bowl. The Holiday Bowl loves the Wildcats. OK, they love the 10,000 fans that will travel as well!

If K-State splits its final two games or loses both, the Big Apple will welcome the Little Apple with open arms.

Andy Williams is right. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

* * * * *

Lastly, my tip of my Wildcat hat to Tex Winter, who earlier this week was honored at halftime of the KSU-Virginia Tech game. Winter, who coached the Wildcats to great success in Ahearn Fieldhouse, went on to coach at Marquette, Washington, Northwestern and Long Beach State before assisting Phil Jackson's nine NBA championships.

Tex will be inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend.

"Here's the thing about Tex that's so good," Bob Knight, the analyst for the ESPN broadcast that day, told The Topeka Capital-Journal. "There's nobody I met I liked any better than Tex, or I thought cared more about the game of basketball like he did.

"Tex really, really likes the game of basketball. That was great to see, and I appreciated that from the time I first knew him until today. And then on top of that, Tex as an oustanding basketball coach."

Tex, now 88, lives with his wife Nancy in Manhattan with their son, Brian. Tex suffered a stroke last year which makes it difficult for him to speak.

Congratulations, Tex! It's about time!

To that, I say thank you for reading. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! .

Randomness by MP!!!!

Wow! What a year in the NFL so far....and college too for that matter. Our Chiefs took a tough loss at the dreaded Raiders last week and now gear up to go to Mile High this week.

Last week was a bad situation. I thought we would be Oakland, who I still believe we are better than, instead we lose and lose valuable ground as the Raiders and Chargers pick up wins. Yes SD is pulling their Zenyatta move....dead last to another surging finish. The Chiefs could have beaten the Raiders, had a lot of confidence heading into Denver...then back home to face a weak Arizona team. Now I am concerned about a problem coming in Denver, then who knows what with AZ.

Outside of a lot of penalties and poor QB play, the Chiefs are still playing well. I am still juiced for the coming years. Expect a pretty detailed write up coming on the heels of the Donkeys game.

Around the NFL, lots of strange things afoot for certain. Dallas done, and Phillips gone. It seems to be a year with a lot of parity and anyone able to win on a given Sunday. It will be a great finish for sure.

College football is interesting too. The Cam Newton deal is dominating the press. The QB from Auburn who has helped the Tigers to a 10-0 record is mixed up with allegations of getting money to attend the school. Pretty convoluted stuff I guess it could have been a previous school. Who knows? Is anyone really surprised? It is the SEC and I would imagine everyone is doing it. The interesting thing to me is that he is the prohibitive favorite to win the Heisman. Will he get votes if folks expect a Reggie Bush deal?

The other story in the collegiate ranks is that Boise and TCU are going to play for the National Championship. Is that interesting? Are these the best two teams? Uhh speaking of the SEC....TCU and Boise would in the basement in either side of the league. I wish that system could get fixed!! Maybe Oregon gets to the game....I cannot figure Auburn is able to beat Georgia, 'Bama, then win the Conference title game. Too tall of an order.

You know what will save the day? Basketball season baby! The time has come and I am ready to roll! Go Jayhawks....FREE Josh Selby!!

Congrats to the SF Giants...horrific showing by the Rangers and boring series. Great move by the Royals sending DeJesus for nothing....another genius front office move! NBA wise the Heat are not looking great. LeBron was complaining about playing too many minutes last night! Hmmmm would Jordan or Magic want less minutes?? Trouble!!

Thanks for reading everyone! Expect a lot more stuff coming soon....I think VC broke some fingers in a farming accident....that is the only reason I can figure for him being on hiatus like he has been! Go Chiefs....Go 'Hawks!! And thanks for checking this out!!!

Playoffs? Playoffs! Yes, Playoff Talk Brewing in K.C. By CP3

The glory of victory is bliss. It’s a surreal time for Kansas City Chiefs fans after a decisive win over the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday in Arrowhead Stadium. I love Sunday afternoons when you’re looking for a win and Monday mornings when you’ve found one. Yes, this is a similar quote from Coach Jones in the move Radio, but it’s right on the money. This type of pathology inspires cautious playoff talk from football fans in the “The City of Fountains.”

A fountain of hope is flowing in K.C after matching last season’s 4 win record in only week 7 of the 2010 effort. It’s tough to deny the natural urge to talk about the Chiefs bright future and possible postseason berth behind a much better than expected start to the season. Joy, hope, and over confidence are the best ingredients for a recipe of disappointment. Our quest today will distinguish between a surreal 4-2 record and the reality of the remaining 2010 schedule.

First things first, when any team goes from worst to first, the fan base is going to experience a shock to the system. In 2009 the Kansas City Chiefs defense had more holes than the Iraqi Navy and the offense wasn’t much better. It would seem almost inconceivable to have the #1 rushing attack in the NFL averaging 176 ypg, a phenomenal Offensive Line, and a 9th ranked Defense following last season. However unbelievable, all of the above are true. And, to add insult to injury, the Chiefs are ranked 12th over all just ahead of last year’s Super Bowl Cinderellas, the New Orleans Saints ranked 13th. WHAT??? OUCH!!!

The Chiefs displayed a sundry of offensive weaponry on Sunday in Arrowhead stadium. DMC, that’s Dexter McCluster, not to be confused with the rap group Run DMC, was showing off his ADIDAS early in the game. This kid has wicked speed and fears no man. Ole Miss did a great job developing Mr. McCluster. As Charlie Weis works him into a system containing a plethora of talent, it’s going to be an honor and privilege to watch this guy work. Thomas Jones launched his first 100 plus rushing game in a Chief uniform. Along with Jamaal Charles and Jackie Battle, Kansas City rounded out the game with 236 yards rushing and 3 rushing T.D’s. It is a true joy to watch these running backs do their thing while madman Weissy is upstairs scratching his belly and hatching his next brilliant offensive scheme. If Charlie Weis keeps calling games like the last one, we’ll be moving on up like “The Jefferson’s.”

Matt Cassel, Matt Cassel, Matt Cassel. How can you dog a man that manages the game and is showing progress. The Chiefs starting QB turned in another solid report card. He went 13/18 for 193 yards 2TD and no Interceptions. When you have a running game as explosive as such, all you HAVE to do is manage the game. D Bowe and T Moe are Cassel’s favorite targets. Bowe seemed to be on the same page as the rest of the offense Sunday hitting for 2 TDs. However, #81 Tony Moeaki leads the Chiefs in receptions and is threatening all of Tony G’s rookie season records. We all know Tony Gonzalez is a stand up guy, a future Hall of Famer, and will retire his jersey in Arrowhead with full honors. He would be happy for T Moe regardless of any Tight End record breaking this year. Right Gonzo???

Derrick Johnson flew in to save the day with a pick 6 in the second half. It was looking pretty grim when the zebra’s called another game changing passing interference call against Brandon Carr who was clearly being hooked on the play. “It’s legal to call Offensive Passing Interference in Chiefs games,” I guess the Ref’s didn’t get the memo. Eric Berry chimed in with a nice interception as well. Tamba Hali has 5.5 sacks on the season and is ranked 13th in that category. This guy is a Beast!!! My hat is off to Romeo Crennel. He has galvanized this defense into one cohesive block of iron in less than one season. Numbers never lie. The Chiefs are ranked 9th in overall defense. This tells the tale of hard work on behalf of Scott Pioli, Todd Haley, Romeo Crennel, and the Kansas City Chief Defense.

Now for the Million Dollar question, are the Playoffs possible? All cylinders were firing for the Chiefs in their four wins this season. Against the Colts, the Chiefs defense had their ears pinned back and had the tachometer in the red. Against the Texans, the Chiefs offense had their pedal to the metal. Both games resulted in a loss but were on the road and were very close. The Special Teams have played well in all six outings. With this said, Ray Charles could see the glaring key to victory. If the Chiefs want to a taste of the Postseason this year, their offense and defense must both play well on game day. Although the Chiefs supposedly have the 2nd easiest schedule in the league, the road to the playoffs is no cake walk.

The AFC West has to be one of the weakest divisions in the NFL this year. However, you can never count out the San Diego Chargers. These guys have been the Chiefs nemesis for years and love to make late comebacks. The Bolts are the proud owners of a 2-5 record, 0-2 in the Division, and are missing key players on both sides of the ball. It will be a great day in Chiefs Nation when these guys are mathematically eliminated from the postseason. The most likely team to stand in the way of a Chiefs playoff berth this year could be the Oakland Raiders? After ringing the alarm last week and hanging 59 points on the Broncos, Oakland may be this season’s #1 playoff foe. The Raiders are sitting on a 3-4 record and 2-0 in the division. Some say they had the best draft in the league. Therefore, their best football may remain to be seen. I’m sure Darren McFadden has a few things to say about that. These guys are serious. Opposing team’s fans DO GET SHANKED in the Black Hole. Take a peek at Oakland’s schedule. If the Raiders win a lion’s share of games over Seattle, Pittsburgh, Miami, San Diego, and Indy it’s going to be tight. Week 17 in Arrowhead could be the deciding factor on which AFC team goes to the dance. Remember you heard it here first.

Being weary of the other AFC teams is only natural. However, focusing on each game will get the Chiefs to the promise land. The Buffalo Bills are not to be taken lightly. The winless Bills are due. They have given Miami, New England, and Baltimore a run for their money this year. Ray Lewis is thanking his lucky stars that field goal clanked the wrong way last week. The positive side to next week’s game is that it is in Arrowhead. The Chiefs are 8 point favorites but the Bills are changing their defensive scheme to stop the Kansas City running attack.

The next four games are crucial for Kansas City. Facing Denver and Oakland on the road will be vital to winning the division. If we can escape the Black Hole and Invesco Field with wins, the Chiefs could be looking at their first playoff berth since 2006.

I’m biased. However, my crystal ball says the Chiefs win the AFC West this year.

Playoffs? Playoffs? Yes, Playoffs! Playoff talked has brewed and filled to the brim.