When Kansas sat at 5-4, most felt the easiest game to clinch bowl security would have been against the Arizona Wildcats. However, after several errors last Saturday and a controversial call or two, the Jayhawks sit with an even 5-5 record and are now forced to win either of their last two games in order to clinch bowl eligibility. A tall task considering first comes the stout Iowa State Cyclones, who sit at 6-4 and look to be recovering after a mid-season slump saw them drop four games in a row.
After Iowa State comes the Utah Utes. Utah sits with a smooth 7-2 record with losses only coming from the No. 8 Texas Tech Red Raiders and the No. 12 BYU Cougars, the latter a narrow 24-21 loss, the former, a blowout, something Kansas fans are familiar with.
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach have spent the season weekly projecting where Kansas may land, and ahead of the last two games, you can only help but feel that their projections are tailored to be more and more accurate.
Schlabach posted Kansas in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl against Boise State, and Bonagura selected the Jayhawks in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl against Kennesaw State.
Unsurprisingly, Kansas has never taken on the Kennesaw State Owls, seeing as the Conference USA team was only promoted to the FBS ahead of the 2024 season. First-year head coach Jerry Mack. Mack has totaled a 7-2 record.
The Jayhawks have also never squared off against the Boise State Broncos. Boise State has taken a massive step backwards since its 2024 College Football Playoff appearance as the No. 3 seed. This year, the Broncos are 6-3 and were recently blown out by Fresno State in a 30-7 loss. The same Fresno State squad that Kansas took down in week zero, in a dominant 31-7 manner.
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