The Kansas football team will attempt to get back to a bowl in 2026 after back-to-back disappointing 5-7 seasons. The Jayhawks non-conference schedule leaves KU with opportunities for a couple of easier wins and another to pull off a big upset against a historical rival.
It's imperative for Kansas to win at least two of the non-conference games because it is always tough for the Jayhawks to find four more wins in the Big 12. It will be quite an accomplishment if head coach Lance Leipold can get the program to a place where it can finish in the top half of the Big 12 and maybe even contend.
Of course, quarterback Jalon Daniels is gone and trying to make the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster in the NFL. Daniels spent six years at Kansas, and despite multiple injuries through the years, he will always be remembered as a key component in helping to pull the program from obscurity to one with expectations of success.
KU must get off to a strong start if they want to return to a bowl game this season. It is a new era at Kansas, and it's one with an uncertain future without Daniels.
Ranking the three Kansas football non-conference opponents
No. 3: Long Island
Week 1, 7:00 p.m., Sept. 4, 2026, Lawrence, KS, ESPNU
It will be nice when KU is in a position where they don't have to play these types of games. LIU is a Division One, FCS school. They are coming off a 6-6 season in the Northeast Conference.
This is a team that should offer no resistance to the Jayhawks. It should be nothing more than a glorified practice, merely a warm-up for game two. Hopefully, Kansas will win easily, some new players will gain experience, and no one will get hurt.
No. 2: Middle Tennessee
Week 5, Oct. 3, 2026, Lawrence, KS
The Blue Raiders are a legitimate opponent and should help prepare the Jayhawks for the Big 12 season. Middle Tennessee finished 3-9 in 2025 while competing in Conference USA.
This is a way more acceptable school to play in the non-conference. They are a Bowl Subdivision school, and while KU should still beat them, it should be a much more competitive game than the one against LIU.
It is the last of the three non-conference matchups, but the Jayhawks do have have two intriguing games between LIU and Middle Tennessee. Hopefully, the Jayhawks a win this game to catapult them into the Big 12 schedule.
No. 1: Missouri Tigers
Week 2, 7:00 p.m. CDT, Sept. 11, 2026, Lawrence, KS, FOX
In a perfect world, KU would have more than just LIU as preparation for the Jayhawks most contentious rival, but things just didn't work out that way this year. One week after playing LIU, the Missouri Tigers come calling in the newly-renovated David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
The Tigers finished 8-5 overall last season, including 4-4 in the SEC. When the Jayhawks played in Columbia, it was a competitive game early, but Kansas faded in the second half before falling, 31-42.
Nothing would boost this program more this season than to pull an upset against Missouri. It would establish the Jayhawks as a much-improved team. It will also indicate how tough KU might be because any game against the Tigers will be a fight.
It would be an early statement win for a program trying to turn things around. It would also inject the fanbase with energy and excitement.
Mixed in with these non-conference games, KU has a Big 12 game against Arizona State in London, which offers a whole new level of excitement and intrigue.
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