We’ve got on the docket plenty of response to Mizzou’s paltry hoops performance against Utah later in the day, so let’s start your Friday morning with a palate cleanser: football! (Remember, like, a month ago, when we were distracting ourselves from painful football with happy basketball thoughts?)

First things first: THE UNHOLY ALLIANCE* IS BACK.

Former conference rivals Missouri and Kansas State, who first played on the gridiron in 1909, announced Thursday dates for a future home-and-home football series during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

"Mizzou-K-State renews a great natural rivalry between two schools that are less than 250 miles apart," said Mizzou Director of Athletics Jim Sterk. "We are excited about the opportunity to resume this long-time series and believe this will be a great series for our fans."

Missouri heads to Manhattan September 10, 2022, for its first meeting with the Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Stadium since 2011, when Kansas State registered a 24-17 victory.

K-State will make the return trip to Columbia on September 16, 2023.

Non-conference arrangements like this are both exciting and annoying. On one hand, hooray! Mizzou is playing an old foe, and in a home-and-home (not on a neutral field), no less! On the other ... see you in half a damn decade, Wildcats. I will now proceed to forget all about this series for about three years. One day college football will adopt my “have a giant scheduling convention every year” idea, and we can get more timely non-con matchups.

Still, this is cool. Can’t wait to lose to 82-year old Bill Snyder in 2022.

(By the way, if you’ve been tracking bowl projections, you’ve seen at least a few “Mizzou vs. Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl” combinations. That would be stupendous, too. And yes, it’s crossed my mind that Snyder retirement rumors are again flying, and that Snyder’s final win the first time he retired came against Mizzou. It’s fate, I guess, though KSU needs to beat either OSU or ISU to make that happen.)

* I’m realizing that “Unholy Alliance” is an old enough reference that many newer Rock M readers might have absolutely no idea what I’m referring to. We and the Bring On The Cats community long ago realized that a) our fanbases are extremely similar, and b) we had a similar chief sports enemy in Lawrence. We got along great — some realignment nastiness aside — and I continue to consider BOTC founder Tye a good friend.

More Football Links:

• Mizzou ranks No. 1 in punt efficiency, per my S&P+ numbers, so it would have been a travesty if Corey Fatony had not been named a Ray Guy Award semifinalist. But he was. All is good.
• PowerMizzou’s Brian Austin broke down the Antar Thompson commitment.
• The Missourian has a really cool story on Sherrils and his Alpha Phi Alpha brotherhood.

More Links:

• Three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer credits college baseball (with a shout out to and from former Mizzou manager Tim Jamieson) for his staying power.
• The home opener for Mizzou Women’s Hoops was not optimal, but it was a win. The Tigers overcame a slow start (down seven at half) to eke past Wright State, 82-80. Once again, Sophie Cunningham and Jordan Frericks (combined: 45 points on 21 FG attempts, 12 rebounds, the winning free throws, and four assists, but seven turnovers) were excellent, outscoring the rest of the team (37 points, 24 FG attempts) by themselves, but WSU’s Chelsea Welch (36 points on 11-for-18 shooting) kept the Raiders in the game.

• Care for some swimming and diving highlights from the Mizzou Invite?

• #brand