Mizzou, Kansas football game moves to Friday night kickoff

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The oldest rivalry west of the Mississippi will kickoff underneath the Friday night lights in September.

On Friday, Mizzou Athletics announced that Tiger football's kickoff against the rival Kansas Jayhawks has been moved from Saturday Sept. 12 to Friday, Sept. 11. A kickoff time will be announced at a later date.

With the move, that means that MU will not play a Saturday game until week three of the 2026 campaign, as head coach Eli Drinkwitz and company will also open up the season a weeknight with kickoff against Arkansas-Pine Bluff set for Thursday, Sept. 3.

Mizzou's Friday night kickoff will mark the Tigers' first trip back to Lawrence, Kansas since 2005. Overall, MU holds to advantage over KU in Border War clashes, going 58-54-9. Coach Drinkwitz and his team grabbed that 58th win in the big return of the rivalry series at Faurot Field in 2025, gritting out a 42-31 victory.

After that game against Kansas, Mizzou will return home the following week for its first Saturday kickoff of the season, hosting Troy on Sept. 19. That game will be followed by matchups against Florida (Oct. 3), Texas A&M (Oct. 10), Texas (Nov. 7), Kentucky (Nov. 21) and Oklahoma (Nov. 28) during the 2026 home slate.