The Kansas Jayhawks are currently revamping for what is set to be a crucial 2026 campaign.
If head coach Lance Leipold can attain a bowl game next season, then it would be three bowls in five years. If Kansas comes up short for the third year running, then that record is flipped, painting two very interesting pictures for next Fall.
It doesn’t help that Leipold’s team is laden with incoming transfers all across the pitch, and while the reacquisition of associate head coach Andy Kotelnicki and further development of second-year defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald will likely prove vital, the Jayhawks don’t have an easy schedule to work around.
Looking beyond the Jayhawks’ way-too-early week four open, the Jayhawks will have to take on Utah (Oct. 10), TCU (Oct. 31) and BYU (Nov. 21), all of which were tipped in ESPN’s Updated Spring top 25.
That isn’t even including the likes of the Border or Sunflower Showdown, a trip overseas to take on Arizona State in the Union Jack Classic, or a season finale against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The same team that reeled in head coach Eric Morris, along with what was tipped as the nation’s No. 7 transfer portal class, in the nation according to 247Sports.
That being said, while making it to a bowl game looks a tall task as of publishing, the Jayhawks should have this fixture stamped above all, in what could be a matchup that defines the season.
The Sunflower Showdown against Kansas State
2026 should be the year Kansas flips this rivalry back into its favor
No, this is no surprise selection, but it is a due one. Yes, Kansas does hold an all-time 65-53 record over the Wildcats, but the collegiate football world has rightly looked past that record and instead pointed out the 17-straight losses that KU has suffered.
Last season was one of the most painful defeats as Kansas opened up on fire, forcing a fumble on the game’s opening kickoff and quickly installing a 7-0 lead. However, things quickly soured, as the Jayhawks were then outpaced by a 42-10 margin for the rest of the game, which saw KSU clip Kansas in every major stat, including total yards, which leaned 371-247 in favor of Chris Klieman’s team.
But, this shouldn’t be the same Kansas State.
Kansas State enlisted cult hero quarterback to head coaching role
If Kansas ever had a year to take down its archrival, it is this one under Collin Klein. Klein was elected to take over from the stepped-down Klieman. Like the Jayhawks, Klein was forced to lean heavily on a transfer portal class that comprises 27 transfers.
One of the biggest losses Klein faced, however, was the departure of star running back Dylan Edwards. Edwards quickly let go of his alliance with Kansas State with a move to the Jayhawks.
Edwards was quoted earlier this year. “I'm ready. I'm ready to play. I'm ready to play right now, and I'm just happy. That's something that’s different. I'm very happy here.”
Last season, Kansas’ loss against the Wildcats was the second in what turned into a 1-5 stretch that put an end to Leipold’s fifth year at KU. Through what is set to be a daunting regular season, if the Jayhawks can put together a crucial week seven win, then that may be what tips Kansas back to bowl eligibility.
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