By Chris Langston

Sports Editor

When people hear the words “College football rivalries” the typical teams and their opponents come to mind: Army and Navy, Alabama and Auburn, Miami and Florida State, Michigan and Ohio State. A rivalry that used to be on the list of great rivalries is Kansas and Missouri in the classic “Border Showdown”. However, after the University of Missouri’s move to the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the rivalry had quieted down exponentially, with the only time the two teams met being a charity basketball game in the summer of 2018…that is until now.

Some exciting news came to Kansas and Mizzou fans, as everyone is bored in quarantine due to COVID-19, the Border Showdown was not only going to be reborn but both teams will be playing multiple sport and multiple game series including football and basketball.

South junior Evan Thielen is a Kansas fan and is most excited for the basketball games coming up.

“I’m super excited for the new series” says Thielen. “Growing up KU and MU was one of the best rivalries to watch on TV just because everybody around you had an opinion on the game because of how local it was”.

Thielen is not the only student at South who is excited for the upcoming series. Senior Jerimiah Jones says “This will be a really good opportunity to show Kansas fans how good Mizzou football can be. I’m hoping this will quiet them up until football season. I wish the games would start sooner though.”

Jones will be attending the University of Missouri in the fall.

The rivalry will begin with a series of six basketball games that will start, assuming COVID-19 doesn’t affect the schedule, on December 12, 2020, at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, followed by a game in Lawrence, Kansas in 2021 with a date to be determined. The series moves to Columbia, Missouri, in 2022, then a game in Lawrence, Kansas in 2023, and  then a game in Columbia, Missouri in 2024. The series is set to conclude back at the Sprint Center on December 13, 2025.

On the football side of things, there will be a long wait for the football fans because the series will not begin until the year 2025. The four-game series begins on September 6, 2025 in Columbia, Missouri, followed by a game on September 26, 2026 in Lawrence, Kansas. The series continues with  a game on September 6, 2031 in Columbia, Missouri, and then the series will come to an end with a game in Lawrence, Kansas on September 11, 2032.

The series will be very evenly split. Kansas is notorious for producing successful basketball teams every year, as well as making it decently far in the annual March Madness Tournament. This year, Kansas Basketball was ranked as the number 1 overall team in the tournament. However, Mizzou has not found the same success in collegiate basketball. Mizzou has been known to struggle in basketball. However, recently they have been on the rise, finishing with a winning record the past two seasons under head coach Cuonzo Martin. Despite Kansas’s successful basketball history, they haven’t found the same luck in football. With Kansas football winning no more than three games in a single season in 10 years, they can only get better. However, they will have five years to get more recruits and explore options before they must face Mizzou. The last time these two teams met up during football season, Mizzou beat Kansas in a 24-10 in a game at Arrowhead Stadium.