Kansas football: How a Spring season could benefit the Jayhawks

Nobody wants the Fall college season to be canceled, but one alternative may actually benefit Kansas football.

Being honest, Kansas football would be in a rough spot if the 2020 season was moved to a conference-only format. The Jayhawks would likely win just one or two games at the most, given their chances according to ESPN’s FPI.

Another possibility that’s being floated around is having a Spring football season, which could actually benefit the Jayhawks.

For starters, Kansas only has one player that would likely be taken in the 2021 Draft: Pooka Williams. While losing Williams would be a massive blow to the offense, secondary running back Velton Gardner is no slouch, and he should be able to pick up the slack in the event that Williams declares for the draft.

While Kansas has just one or maybe two players that would be facing the decision of whether to play or not for draft reasons, other teams like Oklahoma, Texas, and Oklahoma State have multiple key players that might sit out.

If those teams are without their usual stars, it could help level the playing field and give the Jayhawks a shot.

Another advantage the Jayhawks may have in their favor is the amount of variability that’s coming with the 2020 season, whether it’s played in the Spring or not. There’s no denying that this is one of the most hectic and unusual ever, and it could provide some opportunities for Kansas to crawl out of the Big 12 basement.

While having the season in the Spring sounds like a reasonable idea, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby had this to say about the possibility:

"“I always considered it a viable option, but it’s certainly not first choice and probably not second choice, either. I think it would be a really big leap to say, ‘OK, we’re going to shut it down in the fall, and move it all to the spring,’ because there isn’t a whole lot of certainty in the spring, either. Having said that, I don’t consider it an infeasible option. I just wouldn’t call it first choice.” (Via ESPN)"

Bowlsby makes it sound like a Spring football season is really a last resort option, but then again, it might just come to that given how bleak the outlook for the 2020 Fall college football season has become.