Kansas is staring at a game that carries a lot more weight than a typical Week 3 trip.
After the Jayhawks fell to Missouri last Friday night, the path to a bowl game got a whole lot tighter. Now, with Arizona State waiting in the Union Jack Classic at Wembley Stadium in London, KU is in a spot where the result may end up defining the rest of September.
The setting is a notable one on its own. Kansas and Arizona State will play at historic Wembley Stadium, and it will be the first college football game ever played inside the building. But the bigger story for the Jayhawks is simpler: they need this one.
To give themselves a real shot at postseason life, Kansas really needs to finish September at 3-1. That means beating Arizona State in London and then handling Middle Tennessee State later this month in Lawrence. If that happens, KU would at least have some margin to work with in a brutal stretch that follows.
And brutal is the right word. Kansas gets its lone bye week next weekend after returning from London, then rolls straight into the rest of Big 12 play through the end of November.
Only three of those games are at home, and one of the road trips is to No. 11 BYU, according to the latest AP Top 25 poll.
The road schedule is no joke, either. After MTSU, the Jayhawks still have trips to No.
17 Utah and Kansas State, a team they have not beaten in 17 straight years. They also have to go to TCU, West Virginia, and Oklahoma State.
There are a couple of spots where Kansas could at least see a path. The Jayhawks will host Baylor, a team they haven’t beaten since 2007, and UCF.
KU will likely be underdogs in every conference game left, with the possible exceptions of UCF and West Virginia. Those two look like the most realistic chances for wins, even if Kansas isn’t favored in either one.
That’s why Saturday in London matters so much. If the Jayhawks beat Arizona State, they would need just one more win the rest of the way to reach six and become bowl eligible for the first time in three years.
If they don’t, the picture gets a lot bleaker. A loss would send KU to 2-2 heading into the heart of Big 12 play, and the postseason outlook would shrink even further.
Kickoff in London is set for 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, with the game airing live on FOX.
In Other News...
ASU Offensive Line Suddenly Faces Another Big Test
Arizona States offensive line took another hit coming out of the Texas A&M game, with junior Wade Helton set to miss a few weeks after sustaining a lower-leg injury. Helton was helped off the field and later returned on crutches with a boot on his right foot, a tough development for a group that has already had to manage its share of moving parts early in the season.
Sophomore Rob Lapuaho is expected to slide in as the full-time starter at right guard while Helton recovers, giving the Sun Devils another lineup adjustment to sort through. For an offense trying to settle in up front, the timing makes this a particularly tricky stretch, because the line now has to hold together without one of its more experienced pieces and prove the depth is ready for a bigger role. [Read more 🡒]
Kenny Dillingham Is Treating Arizona States London Trip Very Differently
Kenny Dillingham approached Arizona States London trip like a business trip first and a once-in-a-lifetime adventure second. While the Sun Devils coach spent much of his time indoors sharpening the plan for the game against Kansas at Wembley Stadium, he gave his players room to take in the city, as long as they did it responsibly. It was a deliberate balance for a team trying to stay locked in while navigating the unusual rhythms of international travel.
There is no template for a college football road game quite like this one, especially with Arizona State and Kansas taking part in the first-ever FBS matchup in London. The Sun Devils have had to adjust to the logistics that come with crossing an ocean, but they also know the setting is part of the payoff. Dillinghams job has been to make sure the novelty does not blur the preparation, even as the experience around them is bigger than any typical September week. [Read more 🡒]
ASU Fans Have Plenty To Debate After One Brutal Loss And One Rout
After a tough fourth quarter turned a competitive game into a 48-20 loss to Texas A&M, Arizona State fans had plenty to sort through on the football side. Two pick-sixes by quarterback Cutter Boley helped swing the afternoon, even as senior wide receiver Reed Harris gave the Sun Devils a bright spot with two touchdowns and 189 receiving yards.
Elsewhere on campus, the mood was much lighter. The volleyball team bounced back from its home loss to UC Davis with wins over Oregon and San Diego, powered by strong play from Noemie Glover and Una Vajagi, while the soccer team put together a record-setting 8-0 rout of Grambling State on Senior Night, with multiple seniors getting on the scoresheet. It left ASU followers with a familiar late-summer mix of frustration and momentum, depending on which program they were watching. [Read more 🡒]