Unbeaten Missouri Faces Kansas in Friday Night Border Showdown

No. 25 Missouri travels to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, for an 8 p.m. ET kickoff against Kansas, with both programs entering unbeaten. It marks Kansas's first home game against Missouri since 2005, reviving the Border Showdown rivalry in a Big 12 matchup the conference shifted to a national primetime window.

Missouri opened its season with a 54-14 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, powered by Ole Miss transfer quarterback Austin Simmons, who completed 17 of 19 passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns without an interception - much of that damage done before halftime. Wide receiver Donovan Olugbode, Missouri's top returning target after a freshman season of 30 catches for 401 yards, caught two touchdowns and gained 107 yards in that opener, already building chemistry with his new quarterback. Kansas answered with a 51-6 rout of Long Island, as redshirt sophomore Isaiah Marshall threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns and added 49 rushing yards on seven carries. Running back Yasin Willis contributed 72 rushing yards and two scores, while Buffalo transfer receiver McMillan caught six passes for 130 yards and a touchdown in his Jayhawks debut. badminton odds

Both quarterbacks won their starting jobs this offseason - Simmons beating out returning options Matt Zollers and Nick Evers, Marshall earning the role out of fall camp - and Friday's game gives each his first look at a Big 12 opponent as a starter. Missouri's defense held Arkansas-Pine Bluff to 14 points, while Kansas allowed just 6 in its opener, though the Jayhawks defense also gave up 613 total yards, a number that will be tested against Simmons and Missouri's passing attack. DraftKings lists Missouri as a 5.5-point favorite with a total of 50.5 points, pricing the Tigers at -221 on the moneyline and Kansas at +178.

A Missouri win would extend its unbeaten start and reinforce the payoff of an offseason quarterback overhaul in Columbia. A Kansas victory would deliver a marquee result in the Jayhawks' first home meeting with the Tigers in over two decades, giving second-year starter Marshall and the Kotelnicki-led offense an early signature win in front of a national primetime audience.