Kansas football: What happens if non-con games are cancelled?

In the event Kansas football’s 2020 non-conference games are canceled, the Jayhawks will be looking at some different expectations.

Kansas football’s 2020 season is still fairly up in the air at this point due to COVID-19, and there’s a decent chance that the schedule is reduced in some ways. If some games do get cut, the most likely candidates are the Jayhawks’ non-conference games at the start of the season.

Here are Kansas football’s four games at the beginning of the season, three of which are outside of the Big 12:

9/5 vs. New Hampshire
9/12 @ Baylor
9/19 vs. Boston College
9/26 @ Coastal Carolina
Playing Baylor so early in the year is sort of strange, and if the non-con games are scrapped, KU and Baylor could be meeting a little bit later in the season, possibly on 9/26. That date should work for the Bears, who were originally scheduled to play Louisiana Tech at home.

If the Jayhawks’ non-conference schedule does get erased, one thing that will definitely change is the expectations. As of now, it’s pretty reasonable to expect Kansas to win about four games in 2020 assuming that they play all 12 games. Keep in mind that the Jayhawks haven’t won more than three games in a season in over a decade, so just four games would be a step in the right direction for Miles.

In the event that Kansas only plays nine games (all against Big 12 opponents), winning just a couple of games would be good for Kansas. Based on 247Sports’ prediction for the Big 12 standings, Kansas should have two of their best chances for wins against West Virginia and Texas Tech, who were rejected to finish Nos. 9 and 10 respectably.

With any luck, Kansas football will be allowed to play their entire schedule in a manner that will protect players, coaches and staff, as well as fans. Still, the uncertainty means that we should be prepared for anything, even a shortened season.