Iowa State vs. Kansas football predictions: Can Jayhawks finally close out a game?

Kansas football could have been coming off its second bye week of the season riding high with a Sunflower Showdown victory. Instead, the Jayhawks have fallen back to the bottom of the Big 12 after unsurprisingly blowing another game in stunning fashion.

Amid KU’s toughest portion of its schedule, the team has begun to play better football. However, self-inflicted mistakes continue to haunt Lance Leipold and Co. The last chance to salvage any hopes for postseason eligibility comes this Saturday vs. No. 17 Iowa State. Can this be the week they finally close out a game?

Iowa State vs. Kansas football predictions

ISU had been undefeated all season until last week against Texas Tech. After taking a lead with a little more than two minutes remaining, the Cyclones lost in a style that Jayhawk fans are quite familiar with. Their defense surrendered a go-ahead, game-winning touchdown with 20 seconds remaining.

Despite a middling offense, Iowa State has managed to be so successful because of its stingy defense. It ranks ninth in the country, yielding only 15.5 points per game. They have generated 17 takeaways and figure to be on a mission against the mistake-prone Jayhawks following a disappointing upset.

Meanwhile, Kansas was a turnover or dropped pass away from pulling off its first win over K-State in 15 years. It marked yet another contest that the Jayhawks gave away in the fourth quarter. They have held fourth-quarter leads in five of the six losses this season but lost all of them.

A hopeful 2024 campaign has turned into a nightmare for the Jayhawk faithful. None of the preseason aspirations the team initially wished for are attainable anymore. The only hope is to play spoiler against a conference foe and hope they take them lightly.

While Jalon Daniels has been playing better as of late, he remains dangerous and mistake-prone in later stretches of the game. Putting him against this tough Cyclone defensive unit spells trouble for KU. We think the Jayhawks will still put up a fight given that they have been competitive every week, but it won't be enough to prevail.

Final score prediction: 31-21, Iowa State (Covers -3)