Before Game 1 of the NBA Finals last week, DraftKings released lines for 70 different college football Games of the Year, including seven in Week 2. We’re going to break down many of these contests in the coming weeks and months, and we’re looking at Missouri at Kansas today.
For this rivalry game Sept. 11 on a Friday night, FanDuel opened Missouri as a 5.5-point road favorite at KU last month. After DraftKings opened the Tigers as seven-point ‘chalk’ last Wednesday, FanDuel moved them to -6.5 (at a -112 price).
FanDuel bettors can get a -108 price on the Jayhawks at +6.5. They’re +190 on the money line, and the total is 51.5 points.
DraftKings hasn’t offered any money-line prices or totals yet.
Although Missouri has to travel 165 miles to Lawrence, it will have a slight rest advantage after opening the season at home vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Thursday night of Week 1. Kansas will play its opener at home on Friday vs. Long Island.
KU will be looking to avenge a 42-31 loss at Missouri in Week 2 of last season. The Jayhawks raced out to a 21-6 lead in the first quarter thanks to Austin Alexander’s 28-yard fumble return for a touchdown.
The Tigers pulled even at 21-21 on Robert Meyer’s 20-yard field goal on the last play of the first half. Meyer had pulled his team to within 21-18 with a 25-yard field goal that capped a 17-play, 63-yard drive with 1:03 left.
After Missouri forced a quick three and out, it took over on its own 14 with 28 ticks remaining. Backup running back Jamal Roberts ripped off a 39-yard run to start the drive. Following an incomplete pass and a five-yard penalty, QB Beau Pribula connected with WR Kevin Coleman for a 50-yard pass to set up the walk-off field goal.
With KU clinging to a 31-28 lead with 4:14 remaining, Missouri was facing a fourth-and-one situation at the enemy 27. Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz opted to go for it rather than attempt a tying field goal, and the move paid off.
Pribula found tight end Brett Norfleet for a 27-yard TD pass. Then with 1:49 left, gamblers backing Missouri -5.5 (hand raised!) were given a gift when Roberts busted a 63-yard TD run to supply an improbable frontdoor cover.
The game was close the entire way, but the box score painted a different picture. Missouri had a 28-13 advantage in first downs and dominated the total offense department by a 595-254 margin. Furthermore, the Tigers more than doubled the Jayhawks in time of possession (40:27-19:33).
KU has finished 5-7 both straight up and against the spread in back-to-back campaigns, and Lance Leipold’s team brings back three starters on offense and four on defense. QB Jalon Daniels, who is second in program history in career passing yards (9,282), is out of eligibility, and his successor is expected to be fourth-year junior Cole Ballard.
Ballard has appeared in 15 career games, starting once as a true freshman in a 31-27 loss to 23rd-ranked Kansas St. Ballard had 55 rushing yards on 10 attempts against the Wildcats, but he was intercepted twice while completing 11-of-16 throws for 162 yards and one TD. Nevertheless, the Jayhawks covered the number as 9.5-point home underdogs.
Per 247Sports, KU brought in the nation’s #64 overall recruiting class and the #53 transfer-specific group. Leipold brought in 31 transfers, including RB Dylan Edwards (Kansas St.), RB Yasin Willis (Syracuse), WR Nik McMillan (Buffalo), OG Connor Stroh (Texas) and OT Nick Morrow (California).
Stroh started in five of 11 games he played for the Longhorns in 2025. He was ranked as the #12 interior offensive lineman in the portal and the #240 overall player. Morrow started 16 times in 24 games for the Golden Bears over the last two seasons.
McMillan was a first-team All-MAC selection last year when he hauled in 62 receptions for 981 yards and three TDs. In three seasons, Edwards has 1,072 career rushing yards, eight TDs and a 5.8 yards-per-carry average. He has 58 career catches for 449 yards and six TDs.
Edwards will also be a factor on special teams. He’s averaged 12.2 yards per punt return on 13 returns for his career, including a 71-yarder for a TD in 2024.
Willis played in nine games for the Orange last year, starting six times. He produced 558 rushing yards and four TDs, averaging 4.3 YPC.
The leader of the KU defense will be senior middle linebacker Trey Lathan, who is a preseason second-team All-Big 12 selection in Phil Steele’s magazine. After transferring in from West Virginia ahead of the 2025 campaign, Lathan started all 12 games for the Jayhawks and recorded 86 tackles, seven tackles for loss, six QB Hurries, five passes broken up, two fumble recoveries, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one interception with a 32-yard return.
Drinkwitz has compiled a 29-10 SU record and a 23-14-1 ATS mark over the last three seasons in Columbia. The Tigers return six starters on offense and two on defense from last year’s team that went 8-5 SU and 6-6-1 ATS.
The biggest question in Columbia this summer is the health of star RB Ahmad Hardy, who garnered consensus first-team All-American honors in 2025 when he racked up 1,649 rushing yards and 16 TDs while leading the country with a 6.4 YPC average. Hardy sustained a gunshot wound to his upper leg on May 10 when he was leaving a concert near his hometown in Mississippi.
Authorities deemed Hardy as an innocent bystander who had nothing to do with a conflict that began during the concert. The wound required surgery, but he was released from the hospital two days later.
He soon returned to Columbia and has been undergoing physical therapy. Drinkwitz told reporters in late May that Hardy still has some internal healing to do before he can participate in any strenuous activities.
Therefore, the school hasn’t given any sort of timeline on Hardy’s return yet, but there is optimism that he’ll play this season. Whether that’ll be by Week 2 vs. KU remains to be seen, but the Tigers have one of the premier RB2’s in the nation.
Despite playing behind Hardy, Roberts produced 753 rushing yards and six TDs last year, averaging 6.1 YPC. He also caught 18 balls for 141 yards and one TD.
Pribula transferred to Virginia and is being replaced by Austin Simmons, who was the starting QB at Ole Miss before spraining his ankle in a Week 2 home win over Kentucky last season. 247Sports had Simmons ranked as the #10 QB and the #56 overall player in the portal.
Missouri brought in the nation’s #23 overall recruiting class and the #20 transfer-specific group. Simmons is one of six four-star transfers among the 30 imports from the portal. The others are DE Kamauryn Morgan (Baylor), WR Cayden Lee (Ole Miss), CB Elijah Dotson (Michigan), CB Kensley Louidor-Faustin (Auburn) and LB Robert Woodyard (Auburn).
Lee was ranked as the #46 WR in the portal and the #216 overall player. In 2024 for the Rebels, he had 57 receptions for 874 yards and two TDs. Lee started 28 times in 38 games at Ole Miss, and he has 106 career catches for 1,623 yards and seven TDs.
Woodyard enjoyed a breakout 2025 campaign in his fourth season at Auburn, producing 67 tackles, seven TFL’s, five QB Hurries, two sacks and one PBU. He was ranked as the #8 LB in the portal and the #122 overall player.
In 11 games for Auburn last season, Louidor-Faustin contributed 20 tackles, three TFL’s, two PBU, one sack and one interception. He was ranked as the nation’s #14 CB in the portal and the #215 overall player.
Dotson had 11 tackles and one interception in 11 games for the Wolverines in 2025. He was ranked as the #11 CB transfer and #190 overall player.
Morgan was limited to six tackles in 10 games at Baylor as a true freshman, but 247Sports had him ranked as the #19 DE in the portal and the #177 overall player. He initially committed to Va. Tech after leaving Waco, only to decide to go to Missouri in March.
Steele’s National Unit Rankings have Missouri #1 at RB and #6 on the offensive line. However, the Tigers are #70 at QB, #36 at WR, #56 on the d-line, #34 at LB, #40 in the secondary and #48 on special teams.
Steele’s magazine has Hardy as a first-team preseason All-American and OT Cayden Green as a preseason second-team All-American and a first-team All-SEC selection.
In three seasons at Mizzou, Norfleet has started 25 times in 34 games. He has 75 career catches for 686 yards and 10 TDs. Norfleet is a preseason third-team All-SEC pick in Steele’s magazine.
Center Dominick Giudice started all 13 games for the Tigers in 2025. He’s a fourth-team preseason All-SEC choice in Steele’s mag.
Kansas owns a 9-4-1 ATS record in 14 games as a home underdog during Leipold’s tenure that’s entering its sixth season. The Jayhawks have been even better lately, going 6-0 ATS with four outright wins in their last six contests as home ‘dogs.
Missouri has enjoyed similar success as a road favorite on Drinkwitz’s watch that began in 2020. The Tigers are 7-2 ATS in nine games as road favorites during Drinkwitz’s reign, going 6-0 ATS in their last six such spots.
The other Week 2 spreads at DraftKings include Oregon -19.5 at Oklahoma St., Texas A&M -14 vs. Arizona St., Michigan -2.5 vs Oklahoma, Texas pick ’em vs. Ohio St., Iowa -11.5 vs. Iowa St. and Utah -10 vs. Arkansas.