Kansas heads into its matchup with Baylor in need of a reset, and the betting market is treating Saturday as close to a coin flip.
The Jayhawks fell to 2-4 after last Saturday’s loss to K-State, leaving them still without a Big 12 win as the season moves deeper into October. The schedule has already taken them through its most brutal run, but the results have not followed.
Next up is Baylor, with kickoff set for 12 p.m. CT on Oct. 24 in Lawrence.
Oddsmakers opened Kansas as a home underdog, and that number has held close to the edge. At FanDuel Sportsbook, Baylor is listed at -1.5 on the spread, while Kansas sits at +1.5.
The moneyline shows Baylor at -134 and Kansas at +112, with the over/under set at 53.5 points. Kansas initially opened as a 2.5-point dog before the line shifted, a sign that sportsbooks see this one as a tight matchup.
The total suggests a game in the neighborhood of 28-26.
Baylor comes in at 4-2 and just took an ugly 17-6 loss to TCU, but a win in Lawrence would push the Bears another step toward bowl eligibility. Like Kansas, Baylor has been getting wildly different versions of its quarterback from week to week. Former Florida Gator DJ Lagway followed a 306-yard, four-touchdown outing in a 55-19 win over Arizona State with a rough night against TCU, going 22-of-53 for 256 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.
Kansas has seen that same kind of volatility from its own quarterback, Isaiah Marshall, who has flashed real promise while working through the usual growing pains of a first-year starter. Last week, though, the bigger issue was on defense. The Jayhawks gave up more than 350 rushing yards to the Wildcats, with Joe Jackson and Avery Johnson doing most of the damage.
From the way the line has settled, this is being priced as a true toss-up. Both teams have shown they can light it up when things are going right, and both have also been hard to trust from one week to the next.
Another loss would drop Lance Leipold’s team to 2-5, with few favorable chances left on the schedule. If Kansas is going to start turning this season around, this looks like one of its best remaining opportunities.
In Other News...
Dave Aranda's Game Decisions Put Baylor Fans On Edge Against TCU
A crowded home night in Waco had all the ingredients for a statement game, but Baylors offense never delivered one. The Bears were held without a touchdown for the first time this season in a 17-6 loss to TCU, and the frustration had less to do with effort than with the way the game unfolded. Even as the defense did enough to keep Baylor within reach, the offense looked stuck searching for answers it never really found.
The biggest source of second-guessing came from how Dave Aranda and the staff handled the quarterback situation and the play sheet around DJ Lagway. With Lagways mobility limited, the Bears still leaned on a plan that left fans wondering whether the offense was being put in the best position to respond. In a game where Baylor had a loud home crowd and a defense ready to compete, the lack of offensive flexibility made the loss feel even more jarring. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Volleyball Just Made The Statement Fans Have Been Waiting For
Baylor volleyball walked into Schollmaier Arena and left with the kind of result that can change the tone of a season, sweeping No. 10 TCU in straight sets for its first win over a ranked opponent this year. The Bears have now won three matches in a row and taken nine consecutive sets, a stretch that has started to sharpen the picture of a team that is finding its footing at the right time.
Ksenia Rakhmanchik again gave Baylor the edge at the net, finishing with 23 kills in the win. The Bears are now 12-5 overall and 4-3 in Big 12 play, and with this kind of form building, the next stretch figures to say a lot about how far they can push it. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Faces A Brutal Late-Season Test Against Surging Texas Tech
Texas Tech is rolling into the back half of the season with real momentum, and Baylor is the next team to draw the short straw. The Red Raiders handled Arizona State in Week 5, with quarterback DJ Lagway throwing for 306 yards and piling up five total touchdowns, a reminder that this is a team capable of stressing opponents in multiple ways. At 6-0, Texas Tech has paired efficient offense with strong play on the other side of the ball, and that combination has made it one of the most complete teams on Baylors schedule.
For the Bears, the timing is hardly ideal after a recent loss to TCU. Their next chance comes Nov. 21, when Baylor meets Texas Tech in a game that already looks like a demanding late-season test, even before the broadcast details are sorted out. The matchup gives Baylor a chance to measure itself against an unbeaten rival, but it also sets up a tough examination of where the Bears stand as the year moves deeper into November. [Read more 🡒]