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Lance Leipold Talks About Renewed Kansas-Missouri Showdown

Originally posted on Kansas Jayhawks on SI
By Joshua Schulman | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 12:58 PM ET

During his appearance at the 2025 Big 12 Media Days, Kansas Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold spoke about the renewed Border Showdown between KU and Missouri.

Kansas will head to Columbia on Sept. 6 at 2:30 p.m. CT, marking the first time the Jayhawks and Tigers have met on the gridiron since 2011 before Mizzou bolted for the SEC.

The long-awaited return of the heated rivalry is the most anticipated nonconference game on the Jayhawks' schedule.

Leipold: “Rivalry games are what makes 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 …” 1/
— Kevin Flaherty (@KFlahertyKCSN) July 9, 2025

"Rivalry games are what makes college football so special," Leipold said. "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."

No matter how intense the Sunflower Showdown may feel each year, few games bring out emotion on both sides quite like Kansas vs. Missouri.

"But now with the two teams in conference, we’ve got to do a better job making that a balanced one in the in-state rivalry," Leipold continued.

This year’s meeting in Columbia is the first of a two-year home-and-home agreement between the schools, but many fans are hopeful it becomes a permanent fixture on the schedule.

"To go to Columbia this year will be special," Leipold concluded. "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."

It goes without saying that there will be no shortage of emotion when the Jayhawks take the field in Columbia for the first time in 19 years.

This article first appeared on Kansas Jayhawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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