Under current football coach Lance Leipold, the goal has become sustainability, after a massive turnaround that has now firmly lifted the Jayhawks out of the doormat of the Big 12. Fans of Kansas want to see improvements.
Heading into this season, there was a steady stream of hype flowing throughout the team, which was spearheaded by the fact that this was going to be the last run of quarterback Jalon Daniels. Daniels has well earned a hero status among supporters and was going to be an extra spark of motivation for Kansas to have an exceptional season.
Things clearly have not always gone to plan, and as it stands, the Jayhawks are planted with an even 5-5 record and a 3-4 mark in Big 12 play. It is worth noting that some of Kansas’ opponents this year are contenders for the NY6 Bowls or even the 2025 College Football Playoff. Regardless, needing a win in one of your two final games to secure bowl eligibility leaves a bad taste in your mouth when considering the expectations earlier this season.
ESPN’s FPI metric has spent the season calculating a number of different odds, and with the up-and-down form of Kansas, a shift in multiple percentages has also followed.
In order to first understand how these metrics come along, a base understanding of FPI must be explained.
“...FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.”
There are two relevant metrics remaining for the Jayhawks this season. The first and most important being the “6wins” metric. That number usually signifies bowl eligibility. Kansas’ chance of hitting those six wins, just 47%.
The less important stat, the “win out,” gives Kansas just a 6.6% chance of notching seven regular-season wins.
The reason why Kansas’ narrow 24-20 loss to Arizona stings so badly is the fact that the Jayhawks, next to opponents, are no cupcakes. After this bye week, Leipold’s team will travel to Ames, Iowa, to take on the Iowa State Cyclones. As it stands, Iowa State sits with a 6-4 record and has been synonymous with grinding games under head coach Matt Campbell.
Following the Cyclones, Kansas will be hosting the No. 15 Utah Utes, who are squarely in position to take a spot at this year’s College Football Playoff and will look at Kansas as their last regular-season opponent to fend off. This season, Utah is 7-2.
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