The Missouri Tigers travel to Lawrence, Kansas, to face the Kansas Jayhawks on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, marking Missouri’s first visit to the venue for this rivalry since 2005.
Both teams enter unbeaten. Missouri opened its season with a 54-14 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, while Kansas defeated Long Island 51-6.
Missouri’s win was powered by new starting quarterback Austin Simmons, an Ole Miss transfer who completed 17 of 19 passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns without an interception, much of that production coming before halftime. Simmons beat out returning quarterbacks Matt Zollers and Nick Evers for the starting job this spring. He’ll target a receiving corps led by Donovan Olugbode, who caught two touchdowns and totaled 107 receiving yards in the opener after leading all Missouri freshmen in snaps last season.
Kansas countered with its own new starter, redshirt sophomore Isaiah Marshall, who threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns without an interception while adding 49 rushing yards on seven carries against Long Island. Running back Yasin Willis contributed 72 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and the Jayhawks defense held its opponent to just 6 points. Kansas also debuted a new top target in Buffalo transfer McMillan, who caught six passes for 130 yards and a touchdown and was a First Team All-MAC selection last season after topping 100 receiving yards in six straight games for the Bulls.
The Big 12 moved the contest to a Friday night, prime-time slot. Oddsmakers at DraftKings list Missouri as a 5.5-point favorite, with a game total of 50.5 points, a moneyline of -221 for the Tigers and +178 for the Jayhawks.
Kansas’s defense, which allowed 613 total yards in its opener, will be tested by a Missouri offense that scored 54 points in its first game. Missouri, ranked No. 25, will be looking to prove its offseason quarterback change was the right call, while Kansas hopes a strong showing at home validates a roster built around new transfers and first-year starters.
