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

By Joshua Schulman

Kansas junior quarterback Jalon Daniels (6) takes a water break with teammates during Tuesday's outdoor practice.
Kansas junior quarterback Jalon Daniels (6) takes a water break with teammates during Tuesday's outdoor practice. /
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Kansas redshirt senior offensive lineman Dominick Puni (67)
Kansas redshirt senior offensive lineman Dominick Puni (67) /

Kansas football floor: 4-8 (2-7)

KU was dealt some lucky hands in 2022. Lance Leipold’s squad was able to pull away with a win against Iowa State in a game they had no business being in. The Jayhawks were a chip shot field goal away from hypothetically missing bowl eligibility. In fact, the only reason they were able to play in a bowl game is because they met a depleted Oklahoma State team that started a 3-star freshman instead of their normal signal caller due to injury.

As good as the offense played at times, there were many games it came out flat. Take the outing against Baylor, for instance — the Jayhawks were down 28-3 at the end of the first two quarters. A performance like that immediately decimates any chance of a second-half comeback with a defense as flawed as KU’s. Hopefully, that won’t happen again with a healthy Jalon Daniels, but I wouldn’t rule out a slight offensive dropoff in 2023.

Speaking of health, that would probably be the most significant factor if Kansas finished with only four wins. The team fell apart at mid-season last year when everyone got injured, and history suggests that something similar will happen again. They can afford to lose a few pieces on offense or the defensive front seven, but if this team is not at full strength, I’d take a guess that they finish in the bottom half of the conference.

Just like last season, Kansas has a cakewalk game on the nonconference schedule. If anything, they have two this season, because Nevada randomly became one of the worst schools in the FBS after losing head coach Jay Norvell to Colorado State. I’m not too sure what to expect from the newcomer schools, but KU takes on UCF and BYU at home and Cincinnati on the road. For the Jayhawks to win only four games, they’d have to win no more than one during that slate. I do think that five is a more realistic number, but if the defense struggles badly again and the offense can’t keep up, I wouldn’t write off a 4-8 finish.

Next. Kansas football 2023 position breakdown: Offense. dark

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