Kansas Jayhawks vs Missouri State Bears: Expect a blowout, but enjoy it anyway.

It's the first game of the season, and it's hard to imagine how this one stays close.

Gameday #1 for 2023 has arrived. We will be wrapping up our countdown early this afternoon, but we have a lot of things to look at before the game kicks off tonight.

Up first is our predictions, where every member of the staff has looked at the matchup for today and provided their expectations for today. With a brand new season after a lot of offseason changes, there are a lot of different possibilities for the outcome today.

Do you disagree with our assessment? Make sure you read them all and then hope over to the Discord or on Twitter to share your own thoughts.

Kyle Davis

Check out our Missouri State Preview for Kyle's full breakdown and prediction.

Derek Noll

Well, I’m fairly certain that there hasn’t been this much anticipation for a KU football opener in some time (2008?) and I think the Jayhawks are ready. Missouri State comes to town and Kansas should handle them easily. I’m not sure KU will have to show much in order to beat the Bears, but Kansas fans will want to see a healthy Jalon Daniels and Daniel Hishaw, a dynamic Devin Neal, and a confidence boosting performance from the defense. I think we’ll see all of those things. On a personal note, I’ll be watching a former student of mine, Bears junior wide receiver D’Vontae Key, hoping he plays well, but obviously not too well in this game. 

Kansas 55, Missouri State 14.

Brendan Dzwierzynski

I expect that Kansas will cruise in Friday’s matchup, and frankly, it had better. The talent disparity favors the Jayhawks to a lopsided degree and given the anticipation Derek mentioned, I think there would be some uneasy feelings around the fan base should this game get ugly. That all said, I doubt it gets to that point. This will hopefully be a game in which the start units tear things up (Daniels and the receivers through the air! Neal and Hishaw on the ground!) and we get to see reserves throughout the second half.

I’m most excited to see what the defense can do. Which may sound odd given KU’s offensive firepower, but this is the unit that’s generated the most concern during the offseason. If Devin Phillips and the defensive line can set the tone and the talented secondary can pick off a pass or two, excitement will only continue to build for Brian Borland’s unit. In the end, I think there’s just too much juice on this Kansas roster for Missouri State to keep up. 

Kansas 42, Missouri State 10.

Andy Mitts

Last year we were worried about the ability of both sides of the ball to be consistent put on a show. This year, the offense is clicking and the defense looks to be at least as good as last year. With an early game at home in what should be an electric atmosphere, I expect that the Jayhawks will put together a fantastic performance.

All of my questions surrounding this game are about how deep into the rotation we are going to get and how those backups are going to look. As I pointed out in the depth chart analysis, there are five running backs listed, and I expect all of them to get snaps. And with so many players looking to prove themselves on the defensive lines, look for a lot of rotation there.

Kansas 56, Missouri State 6.

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