Kansas football coach Lance Leipold says Missouri is program’s biggest rival
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas and Missouri renew the Border War rivalry on Sept. 6 in Columbia.
- Coach Lance Leipold emphasizes restoring balance in the Kansas-Kansas State series.
- Home-and-home deal schedules Missouri’s return trip to Lawrence for the 2026 season.
Rivalries are the fabric of college football.
One of those classic rivalries is Kansas vs. Missouri. The Border War — in football — returns this season for the first time since 2011, when Missouri departed for the SEC. The Jayhawks will face the Tigers in Columbia for a Week 2 showdown on Sept. 6.
The intensity of the rivalry is something Kansas head coach Lance Leipold didn’t quite understand when he arrived in Lawrence.
“Rivalry games are what make college football so special. And I didn’t really realize when I first got to Lawrence that the Kansas-Missouri game is more of a rivalry than Kansas-Kansas State,” Leipold told ESPNU.
That may be surprising, as Kansas has lost 16 straight years vs. K-State. It’s a fact that Leipold acknowledged has to change.
“With the two teams in conference, we’ve got to do a better job making that a balanced one in the in-state rivalry,” he said.
Regardless, Leipold is excited to renew the rivalry with the Missouri Tigers. The Jayhawks will play in Columbia this season, with the Tigers coming to Lawrence in 2026 as part of a home-and-home agreement between the schools.
“To go to Columbia this year will be special,” Leipold said. “I’m sure there’s a lot of people on both sides of it that are going to be fired up. And to see some of these rivalries get renewed is special and will be a great time. And we’re looking forward to it.”
