Kansas football: Realistic floor and ceiling scenarios for the Jayhawks in 2023

Kansas football ceiling: 9-3 (6-3)

Just to clarify: No, I don’t think the Kansas football team will win nine games. Jayhawk fans are not too used to success in football, so you might think I’m just being delusional after one semi-successful year. But is there the slightest chance it could come to fruition, even if it is less than a 5% probability? I believe there is.

The offensive talent is unparalleled to other Jayhawk teams in the past. Of course, Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Jalon Daniels must stay on the field and avoid injuries. His senior season goes to waste if he misses multiple games again, and that is no knock on backup quarterback Jason Bean. If you combine a healthy Daniels with the rest of the team at their best, though, not many offenses in the conference can rival KU’s.

Considering KU plays in a top-three football conference, they need to take advantage of the manageable nonconference schedule. They have a pair of gimmes in Missouri State and Nevada and a home game against Illinois, a team that is about equal to the Jayhawks. If the team does not come out of nonconference play with an undefeated record, you can completely forget that 9-3 was ever a possibility. Even 8-4 seems like a pipe dream at that point, so it’s possible that the outcome of that Week 2 matchup could determine bowl eligibility.

The defense will always be the elephant in the room, but Kansas was legitimately a handful of third-down stops away from winning eight or nine games in 2022. It’s also worth noting that college football teams usually just aren’t good defensively, especially in the Big 12. I mean, hardly anyone plays defense here. Aside from the two or three teams in the conference with elite defenses, every single team will struggle in this aspect.

There will always be a few games in a season with scoring droughts, and those are the ones defensive coordinator Brian Borland’s unit will have to step up in. If they don’t step up in those games, it will be challenging to even achieve bowl eligibility again. But if the defense can become a tad better from last year and the offense continues to fire on all cylinders, eight or nine wins is undoubtedly a possible scenario for Kansas.