Kansas renews Border War rivalry with Missouri by calling Tigers ‘evil,’ invoking slavery imagery

You all know I’m a sucker for college football rivalries.

I even wrote about some of my favorite rivalries in the sport that are no longer annual contests, and one of the games that ended up on that list was Kansas vs. Missouri, so you can imagine my excitement when it was announced that these two foes would be going at it once more.

The Border War, as it was known until 2004, dates back to 1891 and features the kind of hatred and bad blood that makes college football rivalries hit differently than any other sport.

NOTRE DAME-USC RIVALRY GAME DISCUSSIONS BACK ON AFTER COLLEGE FOOTBALL SERIES ENDED IN 2026

That hatred was on full display thanks to a new hype video the Jayhawks dropped on social media earlier this week in anticipation for Friday’s showdown, and, if we are being honest, they might have taken things just a bit too far.

Listen, I’m all for animus in college football rivalries but calling Mizzou evil because Missouri was a slave state 160 years ago feels a bit much, don’t you think?

I love how they had to officially change the name from Border War to Border Showdown so as not to invoke images of armed conflict, but here comes the Kansas social media team saying, “Hey, remember the Civil War? Well, our opponent was on the side that wanted to keep using slaves.”

That’s painting with a bit of a broad brush, if you ask me.

Yasin Willis No. 6 of the Kansas Jayhawks celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half against the Long Island University Sharks at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 4, 2026, in Lawrence, Kan. (Getty Images)

Also, no one at the University of Missouri, be they students, faculty, or otherwise, were even alive at the time of the Civil War, so I’m not sure it’s very polite or even correct to call them all “evil.”

Most of the Mizzou players featured in Kansas’s hype video are black, too, and I can assure you they didn’t commit to the Tigers because they’re pro slavery.

And the final cherry on top of this embarrassment sundae is that Metro Boomin, the producer for the song “Superhero (Heroes & Villains)” used in the video, is from, you guessed it, Missouri. (St. Louis.)

Missouri Tigers defensive end Damon Wilson II (8) celebrates after recovering a fumble during the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 11, 2025 in Columbia, Missouri. (Jay Biggerstaff/Imagn Images)

Well done all around, Jayhawks.

THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!

Take it from a guy who throws his remote every time the opposing team converts a first down on his college team: no, it is not that deep.

SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY OUTKICK NEWSLETTER