As I'm writing this, it's T-minus two hours and counting until the Border Showdown kicks off at Arrowhead between Kansas and Mizzou. I have no idea who's going to win the game, but Kansas City and our entire region is already a big winner.

I was out bright (okay, it actually cloudy with some snow flurries) and early this morning to join all the crazies who watched the ESPN College Gameday crew do their thing. Put simply, it was a blast. I had been to a College Gameday show a few years ago, and I the phenomenon is only growing. The atmosphere the show creates is electric and for the first time, KU and MU fans got to join in the action instead of some other rivalry game like Texas-Texas A&M or Florida State-Florida. Those games mean little this year, while the Border Battle is possibly the biggest regular season college football game of 2007. How about that?

When fans show up before the crack of dawn in freezing temperatures, with flurries thrown in for good measure, and kick-off isn't until after dinner, you know you have something special going on. The Tiger and Jayhawk partisans represented us well, showing off great school spirit along with witty signs and banners. Of course, KU coach Mark Mangino makes it kind of easy for BOTH sides. Either you love the big guy, or you can't make fun of him enough.

So Kansas City is in the national spotlight for one of the biggest sporting events this city has ever seen. One group of fans is going to be bitterly disappointed tonight, but for our region, there is nothing but good to come from all this. Go Jayhawks and Go Tigers! You've already made us proud, now go have some fun.