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Do the Kansas Jayhawks still have a path to six wins and a bowl game?

By Dylan Morrell

KANSAS CITY, MO - NOVEMBER 28: Members of the Kansas Jayhawks run onto the field prior to their game against the Missouri Tigers during the game at Arrowhead Stadium on November 28, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - NOVEMBER 28: Members of the Kansas Jayhawks run onto the field prior to their game against the Missouri Tigers during the game at Arrowhead Stadium on November 28, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

After a brutal week two loss, many Kansas football fans’ dreams of a bowl game for this season got a reality check. But, is there still a path to six wins for the Jayhawks this season?

Let’s be honest, Kansas football isn’t looking like it will do any better than last season’s 3-9 finish, but that’s to be expected. Rebuilds don’t happen overnight no matter who your coach is. Still, no matter how absurd it sounds, the Jayhawks do have a path to six wins; crazier things have happened. First things first though, a few criteria must be met.

Step One: Pick a starting quarterback and stick with him

The first thing Kansas needs to do is pick a quarterback and stick with him for the duration of the season. Whether that means Carter Stanley or Thomas MacVittie, teams with QB controversy rarely achieve success. Right now, it’s looking like Les Miles is going to stick with Stanley through week three, and he didn’t indicate a change was very likely in the future either. For now, Kansas gets a check for sticking with their QB, and let me emphasize this: for now.

READ MORE: Kansas football: Is Carter Stanley the best option at QB for the Jayhawks?

Step Two: Minimize mistakes

Kansas football coaches and players have both stated that mental errors have been prevalent in both weeks one and two. If the Jayhawks are going to give themselves a chance to win five games, they are going to have to play mistake-free football from here on out. This is a team that can ill afford errors, especially unforced ones. We’ll just have to wait and see if Kansas will ever be able to check this box during the season.

Step three: Make optimum play calls/Strategy

Playcalling has seemed, well, not the best. Now, full disclosure here, I’m no football genius, but more than a few play calls have seemed a little strange. Not only that but Kansas’ “double timeout” early in the fourth quarter against Coastal Carolina was a head-scratcher, to say the least. The two back-to-back timeouts left Kansas the entire fourth quarter without any more timeouts. By the way, Kansas didn’t get the first down on the play that was called. Once again, only time will tell how or if this facet of the game will improve.

READ MORE: Kansas football: What was the deal on fourth down plays?

Step four: Win five more games

Probably the hardest thing to do on this list. Looking at the remaining schedule, there certainly aren’t any givens for this Kansas team. So, let’s break down five games this team could win to get this team bowl eligible for the first time in 10 years.

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