Football And Missouri: The "Flutie Effect," Rankings Romance, Academic Reverberations, And Unexpected Guilt

I’ve confessed here before my fondness for professional and amateur sports. But I’m also a compulsive sports story guy. I read the sports section very quickly after cracking open the morning newspaper. I love to hear the latest drama on my favorite teams—which regular readers know are connected to my three homes: Chicago; my alma mater, Mizzou, in Columbia, MO; and Kansas City. For instance,