You would be hard-pressed to find a team that had too much success without at least a decent home record. For teams like the Kansas Jayhawks, who are in a place where a bowl game is expected, having a strong home record is without a doubt a cornerstone of earning another bowl appearance.
Overall in “home” games for head coach Lance Leipold at KU, the former Buffalo coach holds an 18-14 record. Yet if you are willing to forgive his initial rebuild season in 2021, that moves to a much stronger 17-9 record.
Also note that for the 2024 season, KU never played a game truly at home; rather, various sites, primarily Kansas City, Missouri, served as home, as David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium was under renovation as part of the larger Gateway Project.
Today’s task is to rank all six of Kansas’ true home games; this list will exclude Kansas’ trip overseas to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Union Jack Classic inside Wembley Stadium.
No. 6 Long Island University, September 4
This serves as an optimal start to Leipold’s sixth season at the helm; much like last season against Fresno State in week zero, the Jayhawk faithful will be able to marvel at the latest improvement to David Booth while watching what should serve as a straightforward win.
No. 5 Middle Tennessee, October 3
While this is a step up from LIU, transfer wideout Nahzae Cox will be set to face off against his former team; this should again act like when the Bulldogs came to town in that while they may put up a fight for the first little bit, the talent advantage eventually weighs down the opposition.
No. 4 Baylor, October 24
This could easily flip with No. 3 on this list, depending on the temperature of Dave Aranda with the Bears. If Aranda is flying, then this jumps ahead of No. 3, but if things are trending downwards, for all we know their trip to Lawrence, Kan. may serve as the final straw.
No. 3 UCF, November 7
Just like the matchup last season in Orlando, expect this matchup to come down to razor-thin margins. Scott Frost’s 2026 iteration will likely look better than his 2025 squad and with a dynamic quarterback like Alonza Barnett III under center, there is every chance this one comes down to the wire.
No. 2 Missouri, September 11
Last season’s Border War was one of the games of the season. While KU eventually lost 42-31, it was a game where the Jayhawks largely showed they could keep up with an SEC side that easily had the talent advantage over them. This season will probably be a little harder as Kansas has struggled to win highly-anticipated games at home under Leipold. Look at last season as an example. KU lost the Sunflower Showdown 42-17 and also its possible bowl-clincher against Utah in the last game of the season.
No. 1 BYU, November 21
It's not a hot take to expect the Cougars to be charging towards their second-straight Big 12 title game. Whether or not they win it is a different story, but with this game being the second-to-last for both teams, expect a highly efficient BYU offense marshaled by the fun-to-watch sophomore Bear Bachmeier.
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