Potential or Guaranteed Success for Kansas Football? - BWR Roundtable: 45 Days

We continue our roundtable series with a question that is sure to polarize the fanbase.

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The summer is a time for answering "burning questions" in the college football world, and today we have one that is sure to cause a lot of discussion. And the answer that you give may say something about how you view the Kansas Jayhawks program.

As usual, this type of question is a great one to throw to our panel, as we look for multiple insights to answer the question from every angle possible.

Our first article talked about carrying lessons forward from 2022. The last one looked ahead to the upcoming schedule. Today, we are asking about what the threshold is for guaranteed success.

KU fans, if you are offered 6-6 vs letting the season play out, what are you choosing?

— Bit Hawk (@PixelHawk0) July 15, 2023

Kyle Davis: This is a great question, in part because the incredible rise of last season now has skewed the timeline of what we should expect. I’ve heard people say that KU can’t sneak up on people this year as a reason to temper expectations, but I don’t really buy in on that. The Jayhawks didn’t sneak up on anyone for years because they just weren’t good enough. Now they are. However, the Big 12 is a tough league, and so much can happen over the course of the year. Plus, KU plays all four teams in the top four of the Big 12 preseason poll.

All of this is to say that 6-6 is a success. Staying competitive and reaching another bowl game to keep fans energized and recruits intrigued is important this year to prove last year wasn’t a fluke. And I take that in a heartbeat. So part of me wants to play it safe and say give me 6-6. But I’ll let the season play out. The offense should be elite, Jason Bean is a worthy backup if something happens to Jalon Daniels again, and I trust Lance Leipold. Looking at the schedule, I’m feeling like 7-5 is a real possibility, but I’m thrilled with 6-6 and another bowl appearance if it plays out that way.

Derek Noll: After suffering through what can only be described as the worst era that any modern football program has endured, six and six and another bowl game sounds pretty good. But would it be seen as progress? With the preseason Big XII Offensive Player of the Year on the roster and returning more talent than almost anyone in the country, I think having a winning record going into a bowl should be the goal.

The litmus test might just be Illinois in the second game of the season, and if that game goes according to plan, I think 6-6 is underselling this squad. We got a taste of what it’s like being the favorites, and I want to see what this team can do. So, in answer to the question, I want to see how the season plays out because I’m greedy and want to see what the best roster in recent KU memory can do.

Brendan Dzwierzynski: I agree with some points both of you brought up. I think the ceiling for this team is higher than 6-6, but it would also undeniably be a successful season to get to a second bowl game in a row, in my opinion. The sheer amount of returning experience should be enough to counteract the difficult schedule, though, which is why I’d lean toward letting it play out.

This is going to be an oft-repeated line this season, but do you trust the defense to improve at least a little bit from last season? I’m not sweating the offense, and I think that even with a tough Big Ten opponent in Week 2 and a grueling conference slate the Jayhawks should have one of the nation’s better offenses. If the defense is at least competent then I believe this is a 7-win team. I’ll trust this roster and this staff to take the necessary steps to build on last year, so I say let it ride.

Andy Mitts: This question really boils down to what you think the ceiling is for this team (look for more on that from me later this week). If you think 7 wins is probably the best they will get, then locking in the bowl game is a huge accomplishment that you absolutely want to take. If instead you think that the reported internal expectations of a 9-3 season are at least moderately likely, then I would hate to think that you sacrificed the potential upside to lock in basically the same results as last season.

Brendan is absolutely right that the defense sets the tone for this season. If they get ANY better this year, then you have to think that the Jayhawks go to a bowl game. But this staff has shown a knack for development, and the jump from 2021 to 2022 on the defensive side was actually a lot bigger than you might have thought. And let’s be honest, for Jalon Daniels to have any shot at being a Heisman Finalist, 6-6 just isn’t going to cut it.

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