Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz full KU preview press conference
Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz met with the media on Tuesday to preview the Tigers’ upcoming trip to face Kansas in the Border War.
Before what figures to be an eventful Saturday during Week 2 of the 2026 college football season, fans around the country will be treated to one of the sport’s most heated rivalries.
For just the second time since 2011, Kansas and Missouri will square off in the Border War, with the No. 23 Tigers traveling to David Booth Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas to take on the Jayhawks on Friday, Sept. 11.
Watch Missouri vs. Kansas live with Fubo (free trial)
It will be he 122nd meeting in a rivalry that dates all the way back to 1891. The Tigers won last season’s matchup, 42-31, in Columbia, Missouri behind 334 passing yards and three touchdowns from quarterback Beau Pribula, who’s now at Virginia.
The hostilities between the schools, fan bases and states extend back to the pre-Civil War era, with the rivalry’s historical roots being frequently mentioned in trash talk between the sides, including from Kansas, whose official athletics account posted a famous mural of abolitionist John Brown on social media this week.
Here’s everything you need to know about Friday’s matchup, including channel information, kickoff time, odds and our prediction.
‘It’s not about them’: Why Mizzou won’t lean into KU, Border War bitterness
More: David Santiago thrived for KU football vs LIU, and will need to again in Border War
What TV channel is Missouri vs Kansas on today?
- TV channel: Fox
- Streaming: Fox One, Fubo (free trial)
- Location: David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium (Lawrence, Kansas)
- Date: Friday, Sept. 11
Missouri vs Kansas start time today
Missouri and Kansas are scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT).
Missouri vs Kansas odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Wednesday, Sept. 9. Odds subject to change.
- Moneyline: Missouri (-220), Kansas (+180)
- Spread: Missouri (-5.5)
- Over/under: 50.5
Missouri vs Kansas predictions, picks
Score: Missouri 27, Kansas 20
Why Missouri wins: Even without star running back Ahmad Hardy, and even with having to go on the road, the Tigers have a noticeable talent advantage against a Kansas team breaking in new players at some key positions.
Why Kansas can keep it close: Hardy is doubtful to play and it’s unclear whether star left tackle Cayden Green will be available, either, potentially depriving Missouri of its two best offensive players. Combine that with what should be a raucous atmosphere in Lawrence and the Jayhawks have a chance.
Beat writers picks
Missouri 34, Kansas 24: Kansas enters this week as the underdog, and will need its fans to do their best to make Lawrence a difficult environment for an opponent to play in on Friday. But even then, for a Jayhawks team that has the potential to make a lot of strides as the season progresses, that might not be enough. — Jordan Guskey, Topeka Capital-Journal
Missouri 31, Kansas 17: We were surprised to see the spread for this game open at Mizzou -6.5.
Yes, this is a rivalry game. Of course, Missouri is going on the road and will play under the lights in hostile territory. Absolutely, the atmosphere is probably going to be pretty rowdy, if not flat-out venomous.
But this Mizzou team has more talent and better athletes. Kansas, while impressive in its opener, is not a team Missouri should be measuring itself against this year.
With Cayden Green expected to return, the Tigers’ offensive line is essentially at full strength. We’ve seen what that can do for MU’s run game, even with Ahmad Hardy still out.
Mizzou’s first-team defense essentially played half a scrimmage — if that — in Week 1. They ought to be well rested and well prepared. There isn’t an athlete on the KU team that they won’t see a bigger or better version of down the road in SEC play this season.
If Friday’s game turns into any sort of a struggle, that’s a disappointment for Missouri. We don’t see the Tigers completely running away with this, but it shouldn’t ever get uncomfortable. — Calum McAndrew, Columbia Daily Tribune
Missouri vs Kansas: 3 keys to the game
Will Ahmad Hardy play?
Hardy was arguably the best running back in college football last season, rushing for 1,649 yards (second-most in the FBS) and 16 touchdowns while averaging 6.4 yards per carry. The Missouri star, however, suffered a gunshot wound to the leg in May and was only medically cleared to begin the return-to-football portion of his rehab in mid-July.
Hardy did not play in the Tigers’ Week 1 win against Arkansas Pine Bluff and on Tuesday, Sept. 8, coach Eli Drinkwitz said his star tailback hasn’t returned to practice.
“We just want to get him out to a practice and go from there, but we aren’t there yet,” Drinkwitz told reporters.
How will Austin Simmons look in his first test of the season?
Missouri made a high-profile switch at the game’s most scrutinized position over the offseason, bringing in Austin Simmons from Mississippi and letting Beau Pribula, the team’s starter for much of the 2025 season, go to Virginia.
Simmons was Wally Pipp’d last season, with an early season injury opening the door for Trinidad Chambliss to take the Rebels’ starting job, but he impressed in limited action. He was sharp in his Tigers debut, completing 17 of his 19 passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns, but that outing came against an FCS opponent. Kansas should present a much stiffer test while offering a glimpse at what he might be able to provide for Missouri the rest of the season.
How will Kansas’ run defense fare?
Even if Hardy doesn’t play, Missouri has a strong group of running backs, one that rushed for 181 yards and averaged 4.9 yards per carry in the win against Arkansas Pine Bluff. Leading the way for that position group is Jamal Roberts, who rushed for 753 yards last season while averaging 6.1 yards per carry.
The task of neutralizing that attack will come down to a Kansas run defense that left much to be desired last season, including against Missouri, when Roberts ran for 143 yards and a touchdown in a wain against the Jayhawks. Kansas gave up 4.74 yards per carry last season, ranking it 108th of 136 FBS teams. In last week’s win against LIU, it held the Sharks to 35 rushing yards and a measly 1.1 yards per attempt, but the Tigers, needless to say, will represent a different kind of challenge.
Kansas football schedule 2026
All times Eastern
- Sept. 4: Kansas 51, LIU 6
- Sept. 11: vs. No. 23 Missouri, 8 p.m. (Fox)
- Sept. 19: vs. Arizona State, Noon (FS1)
- Oct. 3: vs. Middle Tennessee
- Oct. 10: at No. 20 Utah
- Oct. 17: at Kansas State
- Oct. 24: vs. Baylor
- Oct. 31: at TCU
- Nov. 7: vs. UCF
- Nov. 14: at West Virginia
- Nov. 21: vs. No. 15 BYU
- Nov. 28: at Oklahoma State
Missouri football schedule 2026
All times Eastern
- Sept. 3: Missouri 54, Arkansas Pine Bluff 14
- Sept. 11: at Kansas, 8 p.m. (Fox)
- Sept. 19: vs. Troy, 7 p.m. (SEC Network+)
- Sept. 26: at Mississippi State
- Oct. 3: vs. No. 25 Florida
- Oct. 10: vs. No. 9 Texas A&M
- Oct. 17: at No. 11 Mississippi
- Oct. 31: at Arkansas
- Nov. 7: vs. No. 3 Texas
- Nov. 14: at No. 2 Georgia
- Nov. 21: vs. Kentucky
- Nov. 28: vs. No. 10 Oklahoma
What Border War means for Kansas and Missouri football?
The Border War is one of the fiercest rivalries in college sports, with bragging rights on the line between two programs and fan bases that, thanks to conference realignment, no longer have the guarantee of facing each other every year.
Beyond that, a win against the Jayhawks would provide a significant boost to the Tigers’ hopes during a season in which they have an unforgiving schedule featuring six games against teams currently ranked in the top 25 of the US LBM Coaches Poll. Kansas, meanwhile, is trying to get back to a bowl game after back-to-back losing seasons and is aiming to beat its archrival for the first time since 2008 (the two sides didn’t play from 2012-24).
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