Kansas football set to play a tough schedule next season per ESPN

Kansas football is set to play a pretty difficult schedule next season which will hurt the Jayhawks’ chances of making a bowl game.

While the  2020 college football season is up in the air, there seems to be a growing sense that games will be played in some capacity. For Kansas football, 2020 may be a rough year given the Jayhawks’ strength of schedule according to Phil Steele of ESPN.

Steel ranks the Kansas Jayhawks’ schedule the thirty-fifth most difficult in the nation and second in the Big 12 behind TCU. Going over to ESPN’s FPI (Football Power Index), it’s more of the same, as the Jayhawks are only favored to win one game the whole season.

READ MORE: What ESPN’s FPI thinks of the 2020 Jayhawks

So what exactly does all of this mean for Kansas football in 2020? Well, it’s neither good nor bad, but just the way things are right now. Les Miles is a great coach but he’s not a miracle worker. Also, keep in mind that Kansas hasn’t won more than three games in a season since 2009.

The fact that Miles even won three games (and was competitive in many others) in his first season is a pretty good sign considering the amount of turnover between the new and old regimes.

So given the fact that there’s essentially no expectations for Kansas football in 2020, a four or five-win season would be a step in the right direction for Miles and the Jayhawks and it’d also prove the analytics wrong.

Another factor to keep in mind is that the strength of schedule rankings right now are entirely based on how a given team’s opponents performed last season. For example, Baylor probably won’t be as good next season as last season, so they artificially make the Big 12’s SOS seem slightly more difficult.

Expect some significant variation in where the Jayhawks rank in terms of SOS by the time the season rolls around; however, the Jayhawks’ FPI probably won’t change much if at all.

Next season may be a little rough, but Miles is getting things going on the recruiting trail which will be a huge factor in getting things turned around on the field. Full program turnarounds aren’t instantaneous most of the time, so patience is key for fans of Kansas football.