Back in 2011, just days after the University of Missouri announced it would be abandoning the Big 12 for the greener pastures of the Southeastern Conference, then-Mizzou athletic director Mike Alden pleaded to keep a century-old rivalry alive with Kansas.
The Border War stretched back not just to the 1800s, but the bad blood pre-dated the Civil War itself. Now Missouri was leaving its longtime rival—helping throw the conference into turmoil as Texas A&M went to the SEC, Colorado joined the Pac 12 and Nebraska moved to the Big Ten—and Alden just couldn’t understand why the Jayhawks wouldn’t want to continue playing the Tigers.
“Everyone in here recognizes that our rivalry with the University of Kansas is one of the great rivalries in our country,” Alden told reporters in November 2011. “It’s gone on for, I believe, 119 years, and it’s certainly our hope and our desire to continue to participate against the University of Kansas in every sport that we play — and for the next 119 years.”
At the time Alden argued that traditional rivals like Florida-Florida State, Georgia-Georgia Tech, Kentucky-Louisville and Clemson-South Carolina continue to face each other despite playing in different conferences.
Also at the time, Mizzou had won five of the last six Border War games in football, taking a 57–54–9 all-time series lead as KU football began its long trek to rock bottom. Similarly, the Tigers’ men’s basketball program had seen a quick resurgence under head coach Frank Haith and was ranked in the Top 25.
Of course Missouri wanted the series to continue. The school could have its cake and eat it, too, jumping to a much more powerful conference while reaping the benefits of its previous commitments. All while their programs continued to excel.
Keep that in mind for what you’re about to read next.
On Friday, after days of speculation that Mizzou and Kansas were set to renew their football rivalry at the Liberty Bowl, Brett McMurphy of Action Network reported the Tigers specifically declined not just an invite to the Liberty Bowl, but any bowl game in which they would have to face the Jayhawks.
Per McMurphy:
The Jayhawks, who are making their first bowl appearance since 2008, were not opposed to playing the Tigers in a bowl, sources said.
Schools provide their bowl preferences and the conferences, bowls and schools usually come to an agreement whenever possible. It’s not unusual for schools to request not playing certain opponents in the postseason, sources said.
The Liberty Bowl is one of three that matches SEC vs. Big 12 opponents. The other two are the Sugar and Texas bowls. Missouri and Kansas are both 6-6.
“A 6-6 team dictating who they don’t want to play in a bowl?” an industry source said. “What a world. What a world.”
The Jayhawks and Tigers are both 6-6 but Kansas’ reputation is soaring after two years under head coach Lance Leipold. Missouri, apparently, wants none of that and would rather play the likes of East Carolina in the Gasparilla Bowl, per McMurphy’s projections.
In other words, Missouri would rather play a lesser program—in a game that would surely attract fewer casual and diehard fans—than risk a loss to Kansas.
Twitter, message boards and pretty much any forum college fans use to communicate immediately lit up once this news broke. Kansas fans were laughing at Mizzou fans for being afraid to play the Jayhawks after more than a decade of mocking them. Missouri fans were outraged their athletic department would put them in a position to look inferior to Kansas. College fans across the board were reaching for popcorn as the Border War caught fire once again.
The noise got so loud that Mizzou’s official Twitter account had to refute McMurphy’s report in a way that wouldn’t make the Tigers look weak, but also wouldn’t commit to playing Kansas.
Not True … looking forward to our bowl game vs. any team! https://t.co/dlHGGEpIvt
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) December 2, 2022
A short while later, McMurphy was on local radio in Kansas City doubling down on his reporting. Missouri was avoiding Kansas at all costs.
College Football insider @Brett_McMurphy joined @cdotharrison and @RoblBrenton on 'The Drive' reporting that #MIZZOU did not want to play #Kansas in ANY bowl game.
Listen: pic.twitter.com/ZR5t0lAdPL
— 610SportsKC (@610SportsKC) December 2, 2022
Ain’t scared to play here- there- or anywhere #MIZ pic.twitter.com/kxI52yjC0B
— Eliah Drinkwitz (@CoachDrinkwitz) December 2, 2022
So let’s zoom out for a moment. A decade after leaving the Big 12, Mizzou hasn’t finished atop the SEC East since 2014. It hasn’t won more than six games in a season since 2018. And it’s gone from trying to goad the Jayhawks into continuing their rivalry to actively running away from playing them in an exhibition game.
Fortunately for fans of chaos, the Tigers can’t run forever. Missouri and Kansas have already resumed their basketball rivalry—with the Tigers hosting the Jayhawks next on December 17—and their football series will resume in Columbia in 2025.
Missouri finally got its wish of being able to play in the SEC and continue facing Kansas. Turns out the Tigers may have only wanted that outcome when they knew it wasn’t possible.
