Kansas College Football
Preview
Odds and Schedule
Everyone knows Kansas is a basketball school and hasn’t given much thought to the football team for a while. Charlie Weis came in with the idea of changing the mindset, but a 1-11 record in his first season wasn’t exactly a good sign. since their surprising run to the Orange Bowl in 2007 and a 12-1 overall record, the Jayhawks have seen their win total decrease every year since. There’s no way that trend continues this year to zero wins, right?
Kansas is listed at long odds of 1000 to 1 to win the BCS Title at 5 Dimes Sportsbook.
Kansas isn’t returning a ton of starters, but Weis made up for it with a load of transfers. None are more important than quarterback Jake Heaps who comes over from BYU. After Dayne Crist’s failed attempt last season (Four TDs, nine INTs), many fans are tempering expectations for Heaps. Nevertheless, the signs have been positive and he’s looked good throwing to Oklahoma transfer Justin McCay and former running back Tony Pierson who’s moved to a hybrid role. James Sims, their leading rusher for the past three seasons, is back for his senior season and will look to improve on his 1,013 yards from 2012. The question falls on the offensive line, if they can stay strong even after losing three starters.
The defense returns even less starters, but they may not be a bad thing as they allowed more than 36 points per Game last year. The line is filled with a bunch of transfers that should make an impact, but the secondary will likely be the weak point. Ben Heeney leads the way at linebacker as he made second team last year in the Big 12.
2013 Kansas College Football Schedule
Sept. 7 vs. South Dakota
Sept. 14 at Rice
Sept. 21 vs. Louisiana Tech
Oct. 5 vs. Texas Tech
Oct. 12 at TCU
Oct. 19 vs. Oklahoma
Oct. 26 vs. Baylor
Nov. 2 at Texas
Nov. 9 at Oklahoma State
Nov. 16 vs. West Virginia
Nov. 23 at Iowa State
Nov. 30 vs. Kansas State
If all goes right, Kansas should be able to win at least two non-Conference Games this year as South Dakota is a bad FCS team and Louisiana Tech is losing most of their team and coaches from last year. Rice will be the biggest problem as the Owls return most of their squad from last year when they beat the Jayhawks in LAwrence.
Sign up for Our Key Releases for winning selections all year long
This is Kansas football we’re talking about, so there aren’t going to be many favorable matchups for them. As they lost their five road Games by a combined 168 points last year, it’s safe to assume they’ll lose all of those again. Their best chances of winning at home will come against Texas Tech, West Virginia and Kansas State.
If the offense can find some consistency, Kansas may be able to grab a Big 12 win or two. However, their defensive problems may be too big of a wall to overcome. If they can reach Four wins, it’d be considered a good season.