There is no way two ways about it, the Kansas football program has to get in shape quickly if they want to reach a third bowl game in six years under head coach Lance Leipold. Unfortunately, a 1-2 start to the season will do that to a program that hasn’t seen a bowl game since the 2023 campaign.
Today’s task is to rank each of Kansas’ remaining nine games in order from the easiest to hardest through four weeks of the college football season.
No. 9 Middle Tennessee (H)
The Blue Raiders are the last game on the KU schedule that you could say is a “shoo-in,” and even that isn’t a guarantee.
Middle Tennessee does pose a strong quarterback in Roman Gagliano, who has tallied 832 yards 8 touchdowns and 1 interception. MTSU is heading into this matchup with a 2-2 record, with losses to Marshall and Jacksonville State offsetting wins against Murray State and Nevada.
No. 8 Baylor (H)
The Bears currently sit at a 3-1 record, but things have been anything but smooth. Head coach Dave Aranda is still firmly on the hot seat, and if performances against Arizona State and TCU don’t show improvement, then this could be a team severely low on confidence walking into David Booth Kansas Memorial.
No. 7 UCF (H)
Last season, this was a game that the Jayhawks ground out on the road in a difficult environment in a narrow 20-17 win. The Golden Knights looked improved as expected under Scott Frost as they hold a 3-1 record, which saw them recently take down TCU this past weekend. Their only loss of the year came in a storm-heavy game against the Pittsburgh Panthers. If this was away from home, it would rank much higher on this list.
No. 6 TCU (A)
Sonny Dykes’ 2026 season hasn’t gotten off to an optimal start; a 2-2 record with wins against Grambling and Arkansas State isn’t the most convincing, but there will be three more games for the Horned Frogs to get things figured out before welcoming the Jayhawks.
No. 5 Kansas State (A)
In years past, a Chris Klieman team would have gone up against the Cincinnati Bearcats and eeked out a win; the problem is, this isn’t a Klieman-led team anymore. The Wildcats are now marshalled by former star QB Colin Klein.
Tons of stats will lead you to believe this is a strong squad, and it is, but the biggest reason why KSU is so high up on this list is that this is a must-win for Klein to ensure a successful first season.
No. 4. West Virginia (A)
The Rich Rod revival is real for the Mountaineers. QB Michael Hawkins Jr. is one of the most exciting signal callers in the nation and is a part of an offense that can move the ball on the ground like few others. The energy inside Milan Puskar Stadium is tangible and week by week, this becomes a scarier and scarier game.
No. 3 No. 19 Oklahoma State (A)
If we just push past the Cowboys’ week one shocking loss to Tulsa, this is developing into the team many expected. A win that played better than the score showed against Oregon, and most recently a win against the Mountaineers shows that sometimes the talent really can translate from a school like North Texas to the Big 12.
No. 2 No. 10 BYU (H)
You could very much argue that No. 1 on this list is a weaker team than BYU, but we have our reasons for that matchup. What you get against the Cougars is a sturdy offense that will grind you down and when these two meet it will be the second-to-last game of the season, meaning BYU will be locked in to achieve a spot in the College Football Playoff.
No. 1 No. 13 Utah (A)
Playing a ranked Big 12 game away from home is the last thing any coach wants. But for this KU side that is fragile in more ways than one, this could be a worst-case scenario in a couple weeks. Devon Dampier is still slinging the ball an insane clip and the Utes themselves are trying to cement themselves as a CFP contender.
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