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So that happened. A popout from Salvador Perez capped a 3-2 loss and ended the Kansas City Royals' great adventure. But as Kaufmann Stadium burst into a final rendition of "Let's Go, Royals!" there was a sense that this was only a beginning, if a slightly disappointing one. The Royals are no longer the punchline to an AL Central joke. They are America's team.
As usual, it was a busy Wednesday here. First, Jon Morse recapped his adventures in Manhattan for the Texas game as only he really could. Second, BracketCat analyzed the Week 8 depth chart, and finally, Morse joined Luke Thompson for your Wednesday FEPO action.
Unless you've been living under a rock or have found that part of the world where the internet does not exist, you know that K-State is at No. 9 in the inaugural College Football Playoff rankings. As the Collegian's Adam Suderman notes, it's too early to get all in a frenzy about it. Bill Haisten of the Tulsa World says Bill Snyder is still a force to be reckoned with. But we should flag Haisten for the personal foul of bringing up 1998 and how K-State fell just short. In his Big 12 predictions for Week 10, David Ubben gives Kansas State the nod over Oklahoma State. Did you know Ubben has only missed four picks so far?
The Cowboys are struggling, having lost their last two games in blowout fashion. They need the win to become bowl eligible, and that could spell danger for Kansas State. Still, K-State is favored by 14.5.
Jon Fox runs a mock playoff and puts K-State in the Cotton Bowl against ECU. He thinks this is a reward for a great season, but if that's the payoff, it feels more like a rum game. (See what I did there? ECU Pirates? Rum? So proud).
The Wildcats do better with Heather Dinich of ESPN, who slots K-State into the Fiesta Bowl (ahead of Big 12 champion TCU).
This is probably a good time to note that the Big 12's bowl selection order has changed.
Oklahoma fans have been getting themselves into a lather over the fortunes of their team, but Berry Tramel suggests there's nothing wrong with OU. The rest of football has just gotten better.
Technically, this is a football story, but I felt like it needed its own section. The Rolling Stone's Jordan Burchette writes about ESPN and the College Football Playoff, with particular focus on the network's relationship with the SEC: The Worldwide Cheerleader. Burchette notes that ESPN's SEC narrative goes well past simply hyping the conference on the air, and brings up many points we've raised here and also others we have not really touched on. Tim Fitzgerald of PowerCat Illustrated also has an excellent piece on similar issues (and this is free content): ESPN allows SEC to duck and run.