Kansas vs. Missouri isn’t a “showdown.” It’s War. It’s history, bloodshed, hate, and most important – it’s permanent. Ask anyone on either side of the rivalry, and they’ll tell you it’s just different. Former Mizzou basketball coach Norm Stewart refused to spend money in Kansas. He made sure all gas and hotel rooms were purchased in Missouri, saying, “I had 32 trips to Allen Fieldhouse, and I never spent a dime in Kansas.” Not to be outdone, former Kansas football coach Don Fambrough said he would rather die than receive medical treatment from a doctor in Missouri. All due respect to “The Game,” Ohio State and Michigan just don’t come close to this level of vitriol and utter detestation.
After a long 14-year hiatus, the Border War returned to the gridiron last year. In perfect rivalry fashion, it was an exciting, back-and-forth game with the Tigers coming out on top 42-31 in Columbia. This year, the rivalry returns to Lawrence for the first time since 2005 when Kansas won 13-3.
If that seems like a long time, that’s because it is. 2005 was the year Katrina hit New Orleans, Pope John Paul II died, and the first video was uploaded to YouTube. The number one song in the US on the day of the matchup was “Run It” by Chris Brown. But, it’s 2026, and these teams are vastly different now than they were even one year ago.
What We Know
With the rivalry being so freshly renewed and the current state of college football allowing for brand new teams every year, there’s not a lot we know about the 2026 Tigers and Jayhawks and how they match up against one another. All we really have is last year’s matchup and each team’s performance against a cupcake team in week 1 this year.
Starting with last year’s game, one thing people might not remember is how sloppy it was at times. A high final score might suggest offenses firing on all cylinders and executing at an elite level. However, for much of the game, that was not the case. Both teams lost fumbles with Kansas returning one for a TD and Mizzou forcing a safety on another. The ball even hit the ground a few other times with the offense falling on it to avoid a turnover. A dropped deep ball late killed some momentum for Kansas, and the game ended on an interception of Jaylon Daniels by Daylan Carnell (both of whom are no longer in college football).
Some of the sloppiness can be attributed to jitters or the extra fuel on the fire that comes with a rivalry game. So, can we expect a cleaner game this year with year one out of the way? Or will it be the same story since it’s the first Border War in Lawrence in 21 years? Both teams will be starting a young QB that didn’t start for them the previous year. Isaiah Marshall logged only three pass attempts for Kansas in 2025, and Austin Simmons is only 20 years old with limited playing time in his career at Ole Miss.
For that reason, I would expect both coaches to start off leaning on the run game. For Missouri, that means featuring St. Louis product Jamal Roberts, who had the dagger late in last year’s game. On top of the 63-yard touchdown, Roberts finished with 13 carries for 143 yards. With All-American RB Ahmad Hardy still out after a gunshot wound in May, the Tigers will need Roberts to carry the load, especially after Eli Drinkwitz announced that backup RB Malae Fonoti is out for the season with an ACL injury. Despite being thin at RB, the Tigers still have hope for optimism in the run game. Their large, experienced offensive line gains a very large, very experienced boost this week in the form of All-SEC left tackle Cayden Green. Green was missing in week one vs. Arkansas Pine Bluff when the run game looked only okay, but he’s fully cleared and ready to go on Friday Night. A good running game is a QB’s best friend, and if the Tigers can run like they did last year, life will be much easier on the road for Simmons in his first real test at Mizzou.
For the Jayhawks, leaning on the run means getting a wider cast of characters involved, including Marshall. In their rout of Long Island last week, four different players carried the ball at least seven times. Syracuse transfer Yasin Willis was arguably the most impressive, averaging 6.5 yards per carry and adding two touchdowns. He looked like Lance Leipold’s primary option near the goal line, and his 6’1 230 lb frame suggests that he’s the man for that job. Another force in the Kansas backfield is a name college football fans know well. Dylan Edwards is on his third team in four years, but it’s not due to a lack of talent. Edwards has rushed for nearly 6 yards per carry in his career and has over 1,000 career rushing yards. If Kansas is looking to create a “thunder and lightning” backfield, expect those two to be at the center of the storm. Finally, in the passing game, QB Isaiah Marshall will be looking to attack a reworked Missouri secondary. Marshall had a handful of pretty deep balls vs LIU, and WR Nik McMillan was the primary beneficiary. One of Marshall’s TDs was tipped by a linebacker before being caught in the endzone, but other than that half second of panic while the ball was in the air, it was a pretty flawless debut.
Defensively, there isn’t much to talk about. Both teams handled business while throttling their week one victims. Each pitched first half shutouts and only allowed points when the starters had long been out of the game. Notably for Kansas, linebacker Bam Crouch will be out for Friday night’s game. He suffered a shoulder injury in the first quarter after an impressive start, tallying a sack and two tackles. On the other hand, Missouri looks to be fully healthy on defense. The trenches will go a long way in determining this matchup, and if either side isn’t ready for way more size, speed, and physicality than they faced last week, the game could be over quickly.
All in all, we’re in for another classic rivalry game. Something about a Friday night primetime game in front of a national TV audience suggests a wild, chaotic, peak college football game. Missouri is the favorite with an overall more talented roster, but you can throw that out the window during the Border War. No more stats, no more look-aheads, no more previews. It’s time to fight.
The Picks
My NFL picks are 1-1 on the season after the Rams got absolutely boat raced in front of the entire world on Netflix last night. I picked another wide receiver prop (De’Zhaun Stribling over 2.5 receptions), and again they went down with an injury. But! FanDuel voided the bet like they did for AJ Brown. So, after four total bets, only two have counted, and we’re 1-1. Let’s go to college!
Missouri ML (-198 on DK): I like Mizzou to win this game, but Lance Leipold in his career as a home underdog is 19-7 against the spread (6-0 in since 2023). But, on the other side, Eli Drinkwitz has always won the games he’s supposed to win. Criticism is warranted about performances vs. top 10 teams and the upper echelon of the SEC, but the Tigers have won 32 in a row when favored by 3 or more points. -198 isn’t great value, but there are plenty of Border War boosts available across sportsbooks to make this juicer.
Under 51.5 (-108 on DK): As detailed above, this game features two young, inexperienced quarterbacks going up against two defenses who got the chance to sharpen up last week and didn’t allow meaningful points. Neither team wants to make the mistake that opens the floodgates for the other, so I’d expect some conservative play calling early that could keep this total under.
Good luck!
Note: I use DraftKings and FanDuel for my bets. I usually place them in whichever book has the better line, but sometimes boosts and account balance can play a factor. I’ll make sure to tell where I’m placing the bets so you can tail if you’d like.
Leave a comment