Well, turns out that Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz and ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum have some good chemistry. Do you remember their interview from March this year? Finebaum invited Drinkwitz to his podcast, and the discussion went as deep as the ESPN analyst’s retirement. “In self-analysis, I’m not as tough as I used to be,” Finebaum said. Six months later, the duo is back. Drinkwitz was supposed to be nervous, after all, it’s the Border War. But rather the opposite occured. 

So, it’s obvious that Finebaum will be the biggest rooter for the face-off between Drinkwitz’s boys and Lance Leipold’s Kansas Jayhawks. As he makes a big announcement, both the head coaches, besides the Border War rivalries, have been part of classic rivalries through the years. But again, they say it’s different. 

Finebaum’s latest interview with Drinkwitz was full of humour. Even though the Missouri head coach trolled him, the ESPN analyst did not mind sharing that part on X. On September 5, he posted a clip from the interview where Drinkwitz is heard saying, “Paul, I gotta be careful. This wind’s got my Combover going the wrong direction. I’m three haircuts away from looking like you, man. I gotta get this thing fixed.” This kept the Mizzou fans standing in the background entertained, leaving them in splits.

And here came the comeback from Finebaum, “I don’t know when this day will come, but if some charity in Columbia decides to have a roast honoring Coach Drink, please invite me.” Just like two old pals pulling each other’s legs. Drinkwitz came to Missouri in 2020 after one season as the head coach at Appalachian State. Since then, the Tigers have been consistently around .500. He gifted fans an 11-2 season in 2023, a 10-3 season in 2024. This led Finebaum to become one of the biggest supporters of Drinkwitz.

But aren’t our best friends our biggest supporters, too? That doesn’t mean we don’t roast them. Drinkwitz, too, had a comeback for Finebaum’s self-invite, “Yeah, we have a roast every day at my house.” It shows how strong their bond is. 

Eli Drinkwitz vs Lance Leipold face-off

The Missouri Tigers and Kansas Jayhawks will face off for the first time since 2011, ending a drought that spanned more than a decade. And Finebaum knew he had to do something for his buddy, Drinkwitz. The well-known SEC commentator, like many others, thought the Missouri–Kansas rivalry is too special and intense. But somehow, he took a step further by materializing the thoughts into reality.

According to Finebaum, Drinkwitz and co.’s fight against Leipold’s team deserved more attention than even the lone SEC conference game this week, that is Ole Miss Rebels vs the Kentucky Wildcats. The ESPN analyst might be having FOMO, and said that he got a front-row seat to see how crazy the rivalry is. So, in a way, he prioritized the historic chaos of the Border War over the routine conference grind, underscoring how uniquely fierce this rivalry is. Nice way to lift Drinkwitz’s spirit indeed. Not just Finebaum, someone else also sees the Border War through a different lens.

That’s none other than the Alabama alum, Roman Harper. Even being a former Crimson Tide player, he downplayed the Iron Bowl, the Alabama vs Auburn rivalry, to glorify the toughness of the Drinkwitz vs Leipold face-off. “You guys hate each other. Alabama and Auburn don’t really hate each other … It’s just another school in the same state. The hatred is real between these two schools,” he said. With all this hype, will it be difficult for the head coaches to handle so much pressure? 

Well, both of them are used to the cutthroat rivalry atmosphere. El Drinkwitz’s resume has experience with the Iron Bowl in two seasons as a young Auburn quality control coach. He also soaked in the UNC-NC State rivalry when he was in Raleigh for three years. On the flip side, Lance Leipold was part of Wisconsin-Minnesota rivalry when he was a graduate assistant, then took part in the Nebraska-Oklahoma and Nebraska-Colorado rivalries while serving as the assistant coach in Lincoln. Even though Drinkwitz’s Tigers lead the overall series 57-54-9, it’s pretty close. Will the 14-year gap be worth the wait?