The Kansas Jayhawks football program has been on the rise since head coach Lance Leipold took over the program. So far, it’s resulted in back-to-back bowl appearances for the first and second time in program history and the first nine-win season in 15 years. This year, the Jayhawks are searching for their first Big 12 Championship, which would also land them in the first-ever expanded College Football Playoff. It’s an exciting time to be a Kansas football fan, but how far can they go this season? Let’s take a look at the schedule and pick wins and losses for each game.
Lindenwood | Thur, Aug. 29
The background of this game in a soccer stadium should be intriguing to watch and this home opener one will be featured on ESPN+. This is a “get the rust off” game for the Jayhawks. Get out of the game healthy on both sides of the ball and win this one in convincing fashion so you can rest starters in the fourth quarter.
Kansas 52, Lindenwood 10
at Illinois | Sat, Sept. 7
The Jayhawks showed they were a solid team last year with their early season win at home over the Illini. This year, KU heads out to Champagne for their first road game of the season. Winning on the road will be tough, but the Jayhawks have the more experienced team and should be able to roll against in Illinois team that has some question marks.
Kansas 45, Illinois 20
UNLV | Fri, Sept. 13
KU and Nevada played in a barnburner in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl last season, and it took the performance of a lifetime from Jason Bean to get the Jayhawks in the “W” column. Lance Leipold’s defense would like to put that one behind them, though, heading into this one. The Jayhawks should have the edge here, but the defense will need to be more steady if they want to win this one by a wider margin this season.
Kansas 49, UNLV 17
at West Virginia | Sat, Sept. 21
The first conference game of the season is on the road in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, a tough environment to go and get a win. We’ll know a lot more about this Mountaineer team after seeing them play Penn State and Pitt in the non-conference schedule, but the Jayhawks’ offensive firepower should be enough to pick up a big conference win early in the season.
Kansas 41, West Virginia 27
TCU | Sat, Sept. 28
KU’s first home game was in Kansas City, Missouri, at the home of the back-to-back Super Bowl champs. The environment should be crazy, and if Jayhawk fans can show up in big numbers, the home-field advantage will be incredible. TCU should be improved this season, but not enough to beat Kansas in their first game at Arrowhead.
Kansas 38, TCU 17
at Arizona State | Sat, Oct. 5
This will be KU’s first test against one of the new teams to the Big 12. There’s been quite the shift in the past couple of years, but the Big 12 welcomes the “Four Corner” schools with open arms. Arizona State was not good last year, but it will be a road test for the Jayhawks in what will likely be a late-night “Big 12 after dark” type game. Time and TV network will be determined at a later date. Despite what could be a tough environment, it will be tough to pick against the Jayhawks in this one.
Kansas 44, Arizona State 20
Houston | Sat, Oct 19
Houston ended up being a disaster last season. Will they be able to bounce back? Potentially, but I wouldn’t anticipate them upsetting the Jayhawks at Arrowhead Stadium. Give another win to KU.
Kansas 45, Houston 30
at Kansas State | Sat, Oct 26
The Sunflower Showdown has the chance to be the biggest game this rivalry has ever seen, especially if both teams are undefeated to this point. K-State has a tougher schedule, so they could have a loss at this point, but the Jayhawks could very well be undefeated heading into this one. Despite wanting to pick Kansas here, the fact that this is a road game for the Jayhawks and with history on their side, I must pick the Wildcats in a close game.
Kansas State 34, Kansas 31
Iowa State | Sat, Nov. 9
This should be a fantastic atmosphere at Arrowhead Stadium. Iowa State fans are known for traveling well to Kansas City, and this game could end up being a sellout. Will the Cyclones have what it takes on the field to beat the Jayhawks? It might be close, but Kansas should walk away with another home win.
Kansas 27, Iowa State 24
at BYU | Sat, Nov. 16
The QB competition at BYU should be decided by this point in the season. Former Baylor
quarterback Gerry Bohanon will battle with last year’s starter, Jake Retzlaff. Like Kansas, BYU
returns many offensive starters, so this could be a high-scoring affair. The Cougars also have a
big home-field advantage, especially if this ends up being a night game. At the end of the
day, I still expect Kansas to come away with a big road win.
Kansas 38, BYU 34
Colorado | Sat, Nov. 23
The final home game of the season comes against former Big 8 rival and now renewed Big 12 rival, Colorado. The Buffaloes bring a lot of flash to the table, but they didn’t have a lot of substance last season. Will that carry over into the season, or will they be able to get on the right track? Depending on how things go to this point in the season, this could be a very big game for both teams. If Colorado falls off like they did a year ago, this could just be another runaway win for the Jayhawks.
Kansas 48, Colorado 38
at Baylor | Sat, Nov 30
The final game of the regular season will be in Waco, Texas, as the Jayhawks take on the Baylor Bears. It feels like Baylor will probably have another down season, but they will want to end the season on a high note and getting an upset win over KU would certainly help them heading into their offseason. Ultimately, the Jayhawks should be locked in and get a win that propels them into the Big 12 Championship game.
Kansas 49, Baylor 21
Predicted Regular Season Record: 11-1
Under this scenario, the Jayhawks would finish the regular season 11-1 and put them in the Big 12 Championship game. Would they get a rematch against Kansas State with a chance to get revenge? Will they get one of the new Big 12 schools like Utah or Arizona who aren’t on the schedule in the regular season this year? Maybe Oklahoma State, another team Kansas avoided on the regular season schedule, will be back in the Big 12 Championship.
No matter who the opponent, this would put the Jayhawks in position to make their first ever College Football Playoff appearance, win or lose. A loss may put them on the outside looking in, but a win would give the Jayhawks a Top 4 seed and a bye in the College Football Playoff. All of that would be on the line if this season unfolds, as predicted in this article.
The Jayhawks have a lot of talent returning on both sides of the ball and have a great chance to continue improving on their win total, just like they’ve done the first three years under Leipold. The health of quarterback Jalon Daniels could be the deciding factor on how far this team ultimately goes, but it will be fun to follow this team as they journey through this season.
