Considering Kansas and Missouri is one of the top rivalries in all of sports across the country, you knew they would make the list. But who else does?
Geography plays a role with most of these because rivalries are already more intense when you're protectin' your turf.
So what are the top five rivalries for the area teams? Here's my list. Leave yours in the comments.
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5. CHIEFS VS. BRONCOS
January 4, 1998. Chiefs lose to the Broncos 14-10. That still burns for most folks in Kansas City. The Chiefs were 13-3 that year and would seemingly bring home a playoff victory for the first time since Montana.
The problem?
John freakin' Elway.
Admit it Kansas City, you don't like Elway. Shoot, I'll admit it, I can't stand the guy. He helps make this rivalry easy.
The division makes it an easy rivalry but, man, that 1998 game....
4. KANSAS VS. KANSAS STATE
This isn't quite MU/KU but it's still a good one. Perhaps my favorite moment was the basketball game between the two schools in 2007. You all know what I'm talking about.
It was a K-State player, Michael Beasley, who was getting all the attention back then.
We're going to beat Kansas at home. We're going to beat them in their house. We're going to beat them in Africa. Wherever we play, we're going to beat them
Beat them they did. Kansas was ranked No. 2 in the country at the time and it marked the first time K-State had beaten Kansas since....1983. Amazing game.
3. ROYALS VS. CARDINALS
OK, is it really a rivalry since they play in different leagues? Maybe not a traditional rivalry but with only a 250-mile stretch along I-70 separating them, there's a little punch this this rivalry.
The geographic reasons are enough to make it a rivalry but then add in the 1985 World Series -- the Royals of course beat the Cardinals -- and you've got a pretty good thing going.
With interleague play, they see each other six three times a year. In fact, we'll start that this weekend.
The Cardinals are obviously the better team but this is the one time a year other than opening day when you know Kauffman Stadium will be packed.
2. CHIEFS VS. RAIDERS
Yeah, both teams are pretty horrible right now but it's still Raider Week in Kansas City.
The Raiders represent everything wrong with football and sports in general. Their fans are unruly, they wear spiky things to the games and, well, then there's this.
The Chiefs, on the other hand, represent what's good about football. Lamar Hunt is loved around the league and Clark Hunt has since carried on his pristine reputation.
Once these teams start to put more W's in the column, this rivalry could top Kansas and Missouri.
1. KANSAS VS. MISSOURI
In years past when the Chiefs were the hot ticket in town, a Raiders game may have been in the top spot. But when the Chiefs and Royals are down, this becomes the No. 1 rivalry in town.
As someone who grew up in the Kansas City area, I have friends on both sides of this fight. The two sides don't get along and it seems that over half of each school (or more) is made up of folks from the Kansas City area so the fact that they know each other, and probably grew up with each other, makes this more intense.
On the one hand, Kansas Jayhawks fans will point to basketball where they've dominated. The Jayhawks are the best team around the city but it seems that Mizzou will always give them a run for their money.
Things have gotten even more intense in the last decade with the rise of Kansas football. MU/KU at Arrowhead in 2007, anyone? Might be one of the better games in Kansas City area history.
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