Art Thiel

All within the realm of rules and customs, of course, but the Chiefs' harrowing triumph in the 75th minute of play did not at all resemble, say, the 13th century works of Genghis Khan, his many offspring and the Mongol Empire.

Culture doesn't breed winning. Winning breeds culture. The rest is personality.

Despite the heavy steam wafting out of the crater in the middle of the program, Huskies fans need to know all is not lost.

"There ain’t enough wins," he said. "As a coach, there’s not enough wins. We know right now there’s not enough wins this season.”

The expectation is that the Huskies late Monday will be trailing by two points with one second left. Then the NCAA penalizes Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh for being an all-around scoundrel. The five-yard advance allows kicker Grady Gross to attempt a 60-yard field goal that bounces once, then again, on the crossbar before falling past the uprights for the win.

They will be seen as the rose atop the slag heap. Dorothy prevailing over the Wicked Witch. Ferris Bueller prevailing over his day off.

What the Huskies have done is Marvel Comics movie-grade preposterous.

A glance at the results from the season's first half suggests that being tied for first in the NFC West with the 49ers is not what it seems.

For the sport's only franchise that has never been to the World Series, asking for more patience after 47 years -- and in light of being leapfrogged by the formerly woebegone Rangers -- is the most misguided Mariners statement since former owner Jeff Smulyan said in 1992, "(Bankers) have concluded this isn't a viable business."

The football game at Husky Stadium Saturday is of sufficient magnitude and pulchritude to make it easy to look away from the business detritus, which includes the imminent expiration of the Pac-12 Conference. This breakthrough moment is what longtime sports fans used to call fun.