Oklahoma vs. Kansas: One Stat Stands Out
By Chip Rouse
Oklahoma vs. Kansas has been a pretty lopsided series that goes both ways depending which major sport you are following.
The Jayhawks have dominated the Sooners on the hardwood in basketball, but the fall months have been owned by Oklahoma football.
Kansas is the only Big 12 school that owns a winning record against Oklahoma in basketball, but that record reads like an avalanche in terms of its one-sidedness in the win column for the Jayhawks. Kansas is 144-66 all-time against the Sooners on the hardwood and even holds the edge in games played in Norman (49-42).
Football is another story, however. The Sooners own a 73-27-6 advantage over Kansas on the gridiron and have 11 consecutive wins against the Jayhawks, all under Bob Stoops.
The Jayhawks have won in Norman only twice in the last 41 years, and those were 20 years apart (1975 and 1996). And, oh, here we are again, 20 years since the last Kansas road victory at Oklahoma.
A scary thought, even it isn’t a Halloween weekend. It is homecoming weekend for the Sooners, however, which brings up an entirely different issue of why OU would schedule homecoming to coincide with a game against the worst team in the conference. Perhaps to serve up a slaughter for the fervent Sooner fan base to feast on?
It isn’t just Oklahoma’s dominance over the Jayhawks, however, that stands out in the game this weekend. Kansas ventures south down to red clay country carrying the additional dubious distinction of having not beaten a Big 12 opponent in the last 16 tries and not beaten anyone the last 41 times the Jayhawks have traveled away from Memorial Stadium in Lawrence.
In the last six games with the Sooners, the Jayhawks have not scored more than 19 points while Oklahoma has put up no fewer than 34 on the scoreboard. In the last two games with Oklahoma (one in Lawrence and one in Norman), the Jayhawks scored just seven points on both occasions.
So whether it’s just playing the Sooners, having to do it at Oklahoma or just having to go on the road in general, the moons don’t align well for Kansas’ chances to snap several long losing streaks this weekend.
Sooner fans, before you start fist-bumping and going into your celebratory dance, though, beware of the 20-year curse when it comes to playing host to Kansas in football.
Just sayin’.