Kansas is only days from opening its 2026 season, and the early conversation around the Jayhawks is already drifting beyond the regular season. After a 5-7 finish last year that left them out of a bowl for a second straight season, the question hanging over Lance Leipold’s program is simple: what would count as progress now?
A projected postseason matchup with Nebraska would at least give Kansas a familiar name on the other sideline. USA Today’s Erick Smith slotted the Jayhawks into the Cactus Bowl against the Cornhuskers, a game with a long and winding history of its own. The bowl has gone through 12 different name changes and was known most recently as the Guaranteed Rate Bowl from 2020-23.
The pairing would also revive one of college football’s oldest former Big 12 matchups. Kansas and Nebraska have met 105 times since 1900, and the record is lopsided in Nebraska’s favor.
The Jayhawks are 18-87 in the series, including a stretch from 1917-43 without a KU win and a 2-8 mark in the last 10 meetings. Their most recent meeting came in 2011, when Kansas fell 31-17.
Still, the bigger issue for Kansas is not the opponent. It’s whether the program can finally clean up the little things that have kept it from turning close seasons into bowl seasons. Over the past two years, the Jayhawks have repeatedly come up just short, undone by fourth-quarter lapses, missed tackles and weak red-zone production.
Those details mattered in losses like the 37-34 shootout against Cincinnati and the rough fourth quarter against Utah that closed last season. In both cases, Kansas had chances, but small mistakes piled up and the other team made them pay.
That’s the real measuring stick for this group. Bowl projections will come and go, and the matchup can change from power-conference foe to non-power-conference opponent without altering the larger picture. For Kansas, the important step is winning more of those 50/50 games and finally putting an end to the habits that have kept the Jayhawks just outside the postseason picture.
In Other News...
Kansas May Have Found The Position That Changes Everything Next Season
Kansas has spent the offseason looking for easier points, and the shooting guard room may end up being the place where that search starts to pay off. Kohl Rosario flashed some encouraging moments as a freshman, while Dennis Parker Jr. arrives with the reputation of a scorer after what he showed at Radford, and Luke Barnett has been part of the conversation as someone who has quickly made a good impression in workouts.
Bill Self has already pointed to Barnett as one of the more encouraging developments of the summer, which matters because the Jayhawks do not need this group to be perfect, just productive enough to widen the floor and lighten the load on the rest of the roster. The upside is obvious if even one of these guards takes a real step forward, but Kansas still has to find out which of them can turn offseason buzz into consistent production when the games count. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Has A Crucial Defensive Battle Taking Shape In Camp
Fall camp has started to clarify one of the more interesting competitions on Kansas defense, and its centered on the nickel spot. Defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald said the Jayhawks are sorting through a rotation there, leaning on a mix of older and younger players with different skill sets as they learn the physical and mental demands that come with the job.
Elijah Cannon and Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman are part of that extended look, and the position has become a daily test of how well each defender can handle coverage responsibilities while still bringing something extra to the table. New assistant backs coach Duane Akina is working closely with the nickel group, while the unit has also spent time sharpening pass-rush work with defensive ends coach Joe Dineen, another sign that Kansas wants the position to be more than just a coverage stopgap. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Defense Has One Position Group Fans Should Worry About
Kansas is heading into the season with a defense that looks better stocked in some spots than others, and the clearest reason for optimism starts up front. The Jayhawks defensive end group stands out as the deepest and most talented part of the unit, with Alex Bray, Leroy Harris III, David Santiago and Dakyus Brinkley giving the staff a mix of proven pieces and options that should help keep the pass rush steady.
The concern comes inside, where the defensive tackle room is the one group that leaves the most questions. Losing TreVon McAlpine in the offseason changed the outlook there, and it pushed that position to the bottom of the confidence rankings even as the rest of the defense appears on track to improve overall. For Kansas, how well that interior group holds up may end up shaping just how far the Jayhawks can take the next step. [Read more 🡒]