In the eyes of ex-Missouri chancellor R. Bowen Loftin, there is only one man standing in the way of a renewed Border War rivalry: Bill Self.

Loftin made that known in an interview with AL.com published Wednesday where the former chancellor criticized the Kansas men’s basketball coach for the rivalry’s dormant status. The two programs haven’t scheduled one another in any sport since the Tigers made the jump to the SEC in summer 2012.

Loftin arrived at Missouri the next year. While he said he held private meetings with then-KU chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little that included a lucrative offer to renew the Border War rivalry in football at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Loftin laid blame for the inaction at the feet of one person.

"The problem was a man named Bill Self, who made it very clear this wasn’t going to happen," Loftin said.

New Missouri athletic director Jim Sterk told supporters at a fan function earlier this month that he would "like to see" the rivalry with KU renewed and called his program a "willing partner" in making that happen.

"I think they made it a point when we left the (Big 12) that they weren’t going to play anymore," said Sterk, according to a story in The Kansas City Star, "but we’re certainly open to that and I know (new men’s basketball coach) Cuonzo (Martin) will work on that behind the scenes and see if that can happen."

Self and KU, though, have remained steadfast in their public disinterest in rebooting the series. Asked for a response to Loftin’s comments, Self indicated he doesn’t make decisions for football or any program other than men’s basketball.

"Tell the ex-Missouri chancellor that I coach basketball, not football," Self wrote in a text message to The Capital-Journal. "That we would never play a game in Arrowhead or even discuss it. It’s too cold. We play our games indoors. But (I) look forward to meeting him someday if he’s ever in Lawrence."

The rivalry, which dates back to the late-1800s, wasn’t the only casualty of the 2010-13 conference realignment boom. Texas has yet to schedule rival Texas A&M, and West Virginia, which joined the Big 12 in 2012, has yet to play "Backyard Brawl" nemesis Pittsburgh, though the two are set the renew the series in football in 2022.

Loftin, who stepped down at Missouri in late 2015 and was previously president at Texas A&M, said he anticipates the Longhorns renewing their rivalry before the Jayhawks.

"I think it’s more likely Texas will bend than Kansas as long as Self is involved," Loftin said. "He has a big ego."