The Kansas football team has only five games left on its schedule, and while they are 4-3 overall (2-2 in conference), the second half of its schedule is much harder than the first half was.
That was clear on Saturday when Texas Tech thrashed the Jayhawks. The Red Raiders may be the best team KU has to play, but the upcoming schedule is filled with teams that, on paper, are as good or better than Kansas.
KU has to win at least two of its last five games to be bowl eligible. Of the losses thus far, the Cincinnati one feels like the one that got away. The Bearcats are better than anticipated, but the Jayhawks should have won that close game at home. Now, the Jayhawks are going to have to win a game they aren’t expected to.
Which two games are the most likely for the Kansas football team to win
While nothing is guaranteed, for this exercise, we’re counting the 1-5 (0-3) Oklahoma State game as a win. The Cowboys have been going through a rough time over the last couple of seasons, and KU should not have many issues with them.
All of the other games will be challenging. The Jayhawks need to lock down their bowl eligibility before their last two games. Their 11th game is at Ames. Iowa State isn’t currently in the top 25, but they have been at times this season, and so far, they are undefeated at home.
KU finishes the season at home against Utah, which is 5-1 (2-1) and currently ranked 23rd. It won’t be impossible to beat the Utes, but it won’t be easy either.
That leaves a pair of Wildcats that KU needs to beat - Kansas State and Arizona. K-State is 3-4 (2-2), but has recovered from a poor start. Kansas was one play away from victory in each of its last two games against its in-state rival, but the Jayhawks couldn’t secure the wins. They would like nothing better than to secure a bowl for themselves while helping to keep K-State out of a postseason berth.
Arizona is 4-2, but both of the losses have come against conference foes. This could be the most likely team KU could beat, but the Jayhawks have to play this one on the road. That might be enough to turn the odds against Kansas, but it is still a winnable game.
The best-case scenario for the Jayhawks would be to beat K-State and Oklahoma State, securing their bowl spot. Another win against Arizona would be gravy, then they can carry some momentum over to the contests against Iowa State and Utah.
Unfortunately, the Jayhawks' losses to Cincinnati and Texas Tech highlighted some serious defensive deficiencies. Hopefully, head coach Lance Leipold and his staff can fix some things during the off-week and come fully prepared to beat KSU on Saturday, October 25.