One of those classic rivalries is Kansas vs. Missouri. The Border War — in football — returns this season for the first time since 2011, when Missouri departed for the SEC. The Jayhawks will face the Tigers in Columbia for a Week 2 showdown on Sept. 6.

Delaware and Missouri State officially joined Conference USA on Tuesday, giving the league 11 long-term members. With the additions, the FBS ballooned to 136 teams, the most in history. Five members of Conference USA have moved to the FBS level since 2023.

Missouri football missed out on a pair of Class of 2026 targets on Monday, as its next recruiting class continues to lag behind its SEC peers.

Catalon led UNLV with five interceptions and 95 tackles in 2024, earning first-team All-Mountain West honors and second-team All-America recognition from the College Football Network. He brings not only anticipation for highlight-reel hits, but also experience in communication — an area that plagued the MU secondary in key moments last year.

Missouri has been in the playoff contention in each of the past two seasons with consecutive records with double-digit wins. Now, with what they have in front of them this fall, the Tigers have an opportunity to make their debut appearance in the College Football Playoff.

Since 2011, the MVFC has won 12 of the past 14 FCS national championships, including four consecutive since the 2021 season. Further highlighting the conference's dominance, the MVFC boasts a 155-92 record in the NCAA FCS playoffs, along with 16 appearances in the championship game.

Eight of the 16 head coaches in the SEC, including Drinkwitz, are included on the watch list. Kirby Smart (Georgia), Steve Sarkisian (Texas), Kalen DeBoer (Alabama), Brian Kelly (LSU), Josh Heupel (Tennessee), Brent Venables (Oklahoma) and Mike Elko (Texas A&M) also made the list.