Kansas at Missouri: Using EA Sports CFB 26 Simulation to Predict the Winner

The Border Showdown is here following two consecutive victories for the Kansas Jayhawks to open the 2025 season. Head coach Lance Leipold's group is looking to go into Columbia and come out with an upset victory in the two schools' first meeting in over a decade.

Many analysts are split on who will win this heated rivalry game, so we let the video game EA Sports College Football 26 decide the victor in a simulation.

Week 1 Simulation: Kansas vs. Missouri

For full disclosure, I merely simulated the game using the 'Super Sim' feature, but this one got pretty ugly.

Missouri jumped out to an early 7-0 lead with a Kevin Coleman Jr. touchdown run, followed by a Jalon Daniels interception that led to another rushing score for the Tigers.

By the end of the first half, the Tigers led 23-3, and they showed no mercy in the final 30 minutes, tacking on the final 23 points of the contest en route to a 46-6 steamrolling of the Jayhawks.

Final Score: 46-6 Missouri

Team Stats

Kansas
First Downs: 13
Total Offense: 294 yards
Yards Per Play: 4.5
Passing Yards: 224
Turnovers: 3
Possession Time: 23:14

Missouri
First Downs: 19
Total Offense: 464 yards
Yards Per Play: 6.0
Passing Yards: 282
Turnovers: 0
Possession Time: 36:46

Player Stats

Kansas
QB Jalon Daniels: 17-for-39, 224 yards, 2 interceptions, 0 touchdowns, 11 carries, 17 yards
RB Daniel Hishaw Jr.: 12 carries, 40 yards, 3 catches, 11 yards
RB Leshon Williams: 4 carries. 13 yards
WR Cam Pickett: 4 catches, 59 yards
TE Boden Groen: 3 catches, 28 yards
WR Emmanuel Henderson Jr.: 3 catches, 49 yards
WR Levi Wentz: 2 catches, 37 yards
TE DeShawn Hanika: 2 catches, 40 yards

Missouri
QB Beau Pribula: 20-for-37, 282 yards, 1 touchdown, 8 carries, -15 yards
RB Ahmad Hardy: 19 carries, 182 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 catch, 10 yards
RB Jamal Roberts: 11 carries, 15 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 catches, 11 yards
WR Joshua Manning: 6 catches, 122 yards, 1 touchdown
WR Kevin Coleman Jr.: 6 catches, 67 yards, 2 carries, 0 yards, 1 rushing touchdown
TE Brett Norfleet: 3 catches, 42 yards
WR Marquis Johnson: 2 catches, 30 yards

Kansas On SI Take

It goes without saying that an outcome similar to this would be an absolute disaster for the program. In no point during the simulated game did Kansas have a shot to get back into it.

The offense struggled to move the ball in a performance mired by interceptions by Daniels, who played far from his best. Tigers running back Ahmad Hardy gave KU's defense issues as well, totaling nearly 200 yards from scrimmage.

This simulation is just a reminder that video games are not the best predictor of sports matchups. Missouri is a 6.5-point favorite right now and it wouldn't be a surprise if the Tigers come out victorious, but it likely won't be to this degree.

All we can hope for is a much, much more competitive showing by the Jayhawks on Saturday.