The Kansas Jayhawks are one of the 15 worst teams in college football, a sport with just over 125 teams playing in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Coach Charlie Weis has not minced words about his team. He never does, but this offseason, the words carry extra sting. He said at Big 12 Media Days in July that he hasn’t really had a lot of good players at Kansas. His current players will view that as a challenge to get better, but are those players good enough in the first place? What can Kansas point to this year in its attempt to escape the Big 12 cellar? It’s going to be a tough fight for the Jayhawks, and basketball season probably won’t be able to arrive quickly enough in Lawrence once again.
Strengths
The Jayhawks don’t have much to offer in the way of strengths. They are generally a very feeble team, and most of the problem is on offense. The defense gave up plenty of big totals last season, but when the Jayhawks upset West Virginia, the defense was getting turnovers and making the plays that allowed everything good to happen. This is a defense that also contained the Oklahoma Sooners for roughly three quarters of last year’s game against the team that eventually routed Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Kansas’ defense is scrappy at times. The front four can stop the run if an opponent’s passing game is not up to par. The linebackers are solid in short coverage. There are things Kansas can do to stay competitive in games, and they all come from the defensive side of things.
Weaknesses
The offense really couldn’t do much on its own. The offense has to become good so that the defense, which can be solid at times, doesn’t have to do all the work. The offense has to be able to give the defense a rest, making it better when it does have to come onto the field. Quarterback is just one of many positions where Kansas has a void. There are no special skill-position players on this team, and there isn’t an offensive line which can make so-so players look good. Against so many of the pass-happy teams in the Big 12, Kansas just can’t keep pace on offense. Scoring in the 30s is rare, and that just doesn’t work in the Big 12. It might work in portions of the Big Ten and ACC, but not in the Big 12. The matchups are too unfavorable for this team across the board.
Schedule
The Jayhawks are a bad team, so since they have to play the whole Big 12, they’re likely to get torn up. Hosting Iowa State might be their one big chance. Hosting TCU could give them an outside shot at an upset. Southeast Missouri State and Central Michigan are their two most realistic win opportunities, nothing else.
Outlook
The Jayhawks stink, to put it bluntly. Where is this team going to find enough offense to beat the likes of Texas Tech and West Virginia, let alone Oklahoma, Baylor and Texas? There are no good answers. Take the under.
Pick: Under 3 at EVEN
