Columbia, MO—After a 14-year hiatus fueled by conference realignment and intense animosity, the historic Border War between the University of Missouri Tigers and the University of Kansas Jayhawks has officially been renewed, injecting one of the most vicious and historically significant rivalries back into the heart of college football. Though initial reports mentioned a 10-game series, the schools have confirmed a multi-year arrangement that saw the rivalry immediately reignited on September 6, 2025.
The first clash in this renewed era took place at Mizzou’s Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri, resulting in a thrilling 42-31 victory for the Tigers. The game, which sold out instantly and was broadcast nationally on ESPN2, proved that the passion and vitriol surrounding the rivalry—which famously traces its roots back to the violent pre-Civil War era of “Bleeding Kansas”—remains as intense as ever.
The atmosphere in Columbia was electric, a cauldron of decades-old hatred manifesting in a modern football game. The rivalry had been dormant since 2011, when Missouri departed the Big 12 Conference for the Southeastern Conference (SEC), leading to a bitter split with Kansas. The silence of the rivalry was considered a great loss for the sport, but the 2025 game marked a powerful return.
The highly anticipated matchup lived up to its billing, featuring a strong early showing by Kansas, who jumped out to a 21-6 lead in the first quarter after capitalizing on Missouri turnovers. However, the Tigers roared back, with quarterback Beau Pribula leading a dominant offensive effort in the second and third quarters.
Pribula delivered an impressive performance, racking up 334 yards and three touchdowns, demonstrating poise to lead Mizzou to a commanding second-half performance, outscoring the Jayhawks 20-3 in the middle two quarters. The final score of 42-31 confirmed the Tigers’ win in the first “Border Showdown” (the rivalry’s official, though rarely used, name since 2004) of the new era.
While rumors of a sweeping 10-game pact circulated among fans eager for the full return of the tradition, the official agreement initially confirmed a four-game home-and-home series across two distinct periods.
The renewal ensures that the rivalry will be played on campus sites for the first time in years, moving away from the neutral-site contests that often took place at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City prior to the hiatus. The game played on September 6, 2025, was the first on Mizzou’s campus since 2006.
No other college sports rivalry has roots as deep and violent as the one between Missouri and Kansas. It began in the 1850s, when pro-slavery militias from Missouri (Bushwhackers) and anti-slavery forces from Kansas (Jayhawkers) engaged in brutal, literal warfare over the fate of the Kansas territory. This included the infamous Quantrill’s Raid on Lawrence, Kansas, in 1863, an event so significant it still fuels animosity today.
When the two universities first met on the football field in 1891, the intensity of the athletic contest instantly absorbed the political and historical conflict. Old Civil War veterans would reportedly stand on the sidelines, glaring at their counterparts across the field, effectively continuing the “war” on the gridiron.
Even today, the rivalry is so fierce that the two schools cannot agree on the official all-time series record, a disagreement stemming from a disputed 1960 game which Missouri counts as a forfeit victory.
The return of the Border War—a name fans still widely use despite the official “Border Showdown” rebranding—is a massive win for college football purists who value tradition over conference politics. While the initial four-game contract leaves open the possibility of future extensions, the overwhelming success of the 2025 game signals a strong desire from both fanbases and athletic departments to make this historic, blood-soaked contest a permanent fixture once more.
The intense rivalry between Mizzou and Kansas returned in a high-scoring game in this video from Week 2 of the 2025 college football season. Kansas Jayhawks vs. Missouri Tigers | Full Game Highlights | ESPN College Football
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