Worst Case Scenario for the Jayhawks in 2023: 3 Days Until Kansas Football

We condense all of our negativity into a single article to get it out of the way before the season starts.

We've spent the last 97 days counting down to the return to the field for the Kansas Jayhawks. In that time, we have covered a whole range of topics, from further realignment ripples to further NIL scrutiny and uniform updates to stadium renovation reveals. We dove into the film to look at the Jayhawks' use of two quarterbacks, why Kansas is so successful down the middle of the field and what new wrinkles we might see. We've hit a preview of every single opponent on the schedule. We looked through every position on the roster, and updated you on the information coming out of camp.

Contents

1. Friday, September 1st vs Missouri State
2. Friday, September 8th vs Illinois
3. Saturday, September 16th at Nevada
4. Saturday, September 23rd vs BYU
5. Saturday, September 30th at Texas
6. Saturday, October 7th vs UCF
7. Saturday, October 14th at Oklahoma State
8. Saturday, October 21st vs Oklahoma
9. Saturday, November 4th at Iowa State
10. Saturday, November 11th vs Texas Tech
11. Saturday, November 18th vs Kansas State
12. Saturday, November 25th at Cincinnati
13. Overall Thoughts

With all of the optimism from the coaching staff and the questions around the conference, it's easy to buy in to the hype and get overly excited coming into the year. But while last season was a big jump forward, there are plenty of legitimate reasons to think that this year might be as good.

So with that in mind, let's take a look at that worst version possible of the Kansas Jayhawks this season. While I don't think things will be anywhere near this bad, it's good to prepare for how bad it might look so that we can keep a healthy perspective on the season as it unfolds. Note that we are not including anything like injuries or suspensions

Friday, September 1st vs Missouri State

There is no possible way to envision a scenario where the Jayhawks play at full strength and lose to Missouri State. The offense will be able to score pretty much at will. The defense should be able to swallow anything that Missouri State wants to do. My biggest concern here is that the defense has enough breakdowns to allow some early scoring that makes this much more uncomfortable than it should be.

Worst Case Prediction: 42-28 Win (1-0)

Friday, September 8th vs Illinois

The Fighting Illini had a fantastic defense last season, and while they are replacing a decent amount on that side of the ball, it seems likely that they won't drop off very much, if at all. But the big question is their offense, as they are replacing most of the main contributors from an offense that was surprisingly good. If the defense can limit Jalon Daniels and company even half as well as Iowa State did last season, then this could easily end up as a loss.

Worst Case Prediction: 21-17 Loss (1-1)

Saturday, September 16th at Nevada

Yes it is on the road, but Nevada is nowhere near what they used to be, and they have no business staying in this game. Even in a worst case scenario, I can't envision a Kansas loss.

Worst Case Prediction: 31-13 Win (2-1)

Saturday, September 23rd vs BYU

Kedon Slovis isn't a worldbeater, but he brings enough from his time at Pittsburgh to think that he can put together a halfway decent offense. But I just don't see how BYU has enough defensively to stop the Kansas offense, which means a loss will have to come due to a shootout. I don't think that will happen.

Worst Case Prediction: 42-31 Win (3-1)

Saturday, September 30th at Texas

Texas annihilated the Jayhawks last season, and they should have the talent to do the same this year. Daniels won't be coming directly off an injury this season, but if the Texas offense is clicking, even an improved Kansas defense won't be able to stop them.

Worst Case Prediction: 41-17 Loss (3-2)

Saturday, October 7th vs UCF

Of all the teams to join the conference this year, UCF is by far the best. And while it will be an adjustment for them against a whole slate of new opponents, Kansas isn't better by leaps and bounds. A couple bad breaks will be all it will take for the Jayhawks to lose this one..

Worst Case Prediction: 28-24 Loss (3-3)

Saturday, October 14th at Oklahoma State

This roster isn't decimated by injuries coming into the year, so even though we don't know exactly how this team will look, it is safe to say they won't be as bad as they were in Lawrence last season. Mike Gundy is a good enough coach to get a lot out of his players, and Kansas doesn't play as well on the road as they do at home.

Worst Case Prediction: 34-28 Loss (3-4)

Saturday, October 21st vs Oklahoma

The worries about Oklahoma have to do with their depth, but they showed flashes last year of being able to get their starters to play so much that they didn't need that depth at times. In this worst case scenario, Dillon Gabriel is healthy and slinging it around the field, and the defense lives up to the recruiting rankings and does enough to slow down the Jayhawks just enough to pull out the win.

Worst Case Prediction: 38-35 Loss (3-5)

Saturday, November 4th at Iowa State

Look, Iowa State has a phenomenal defense. I don't expect it to get significantly worse this season. But they lost their best running back and starting quarterback to a gambling scandal, and it's hard to think that a team that severely underperformed last year is going to turn it around so quickly. Give me the Jayhawks in a close one, even in this scenario.

Worst Case Prediction: 17-14 Win (4-5)

Saturday, November 11th vs Texas Tech

Texas Tech is a media darling as a dark horse this season, and in our scenario, they are absolutely living up to that billing. Kansas can generally match the firepower, but once again the defense slips up late in the game and the Red Raiders pull it out.

Worst Case Prediction: 38-34 Loss (4-6)

Saturday, November 18th vs Kansas State

Kansas State has had the Jayhawks' number for a LONG time, and nothing changes here. The offense doesn't commit the same silly mistakes they did last year, but the improvement of the Kansas special teams isn't enough, as Kansas State gets a punt return touchdown and Will Howard goes on numerous long 2nd half drives to salt away the clock.

Worst Case Prediction: 32-17 Loss (4-7)

Saturday, November 25th at Cincinnati

I realize this is on the road, but this Cincinnati team is a shell of what it was just two years ago. If you search hard enough you can find something nice to say about them, but there isn't enough there for me to believe they can win this game.

Worst Case Prediction: 35-17 Win (5-7)

Overall Thoughts

Unlike last year, the worst case scenario for the Jayhawks is actually another decent season. Having an elite offense will do that for you. But there are still plenty of holes on this team that the coaches and players will have to plug in order to avoid missing out on a bowl this season.

Tomorrow we'll hit the optimistic view of how the season might go, and we'll do a full season preview along with predictions from all of our staff here at the site, so make sure you tune in!

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