UCF heads to Lawrence in Week 10 for another meeting with Kansas, and both teams arrive with something to prove after rough losses.
The Knights are coming off a stunning fall from their upset of No. 2 BYU, then got blown out by Baylor in their annual Space Game. Kansas didn’t fare much better, even if the box score at least showed a touchdown: the Jayhawks led into the third quarter before TCU flipped the game in the second half, continuing a frustrating pattern for Kansas.
This one also comes with some familiar history. Last season, Kansas went into the Bounce House and walked out with a road win, its only road victory of the year.
Now the rematch shifts to Lawrence, where the Jayhawks are favored despite both teams dealing with injuries. Isaiah Marshall is expected to be good to go, and that helps explain why Kansas moved from a 2.5-point favorite to a 3.5-point favorite.
The total sits at 47.5.
What makes this matchup interesting is how similar these teams have been this season. UCF has spent plenty of time building early leads, only to watch them slip away late. That happened against ranked Oklahoma State and Houston, and even against BYU, the Knights were able to hang around all game before eventually falling.
Kansas has had the same issue. The Jayhawks have started fast more than once, only to lose control in the second half. They were ahead of Kansas State in a rivalry game before the Wildcats surged late to take it.
So this feels like a game that could stay tight deep into the night, with the final possession carrying real weight. Lance Leipold needs a win here, because another loss could make the noise around him a lot louder.
Even with Kansas at home and Marshall available, UCF has a slight edge on defense, and that could matter if the game turns on one mistake. A takeaway at the right moment could swing it the Knights’ way.
In Other News...
UCF Finally Ended Its Road Misery In A Wild Kansas Finish
UCF walked out of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium with a 33-32 win over Kansas, finally snapping a 12-game road losing streak in a game that swung back and forth until the final seconds. Alonza Barnett III delivered the decisive touchdown pass to Caden Piening with three seconds left, and Will Stone added the extra point to complete a finish that left the Jayhawks on the wrong end of a wild one.
For Kansas, the loss only added to the frustration of a game that featured multiple lead changes and plenty of momentum shifts before UCF seized it at the end. Josh Derry and Taevion Swint were among the Knights who made their presence felt, and the result gave UCF a badly needed breakthrough away from home while leaving plenty for Kansas to sort through after another tight finish slipped away. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Fans Have Seen This Late-Game Collapse Far Too Often
Kansas had clawed back into the game and put itself in position to escape with a road win, only to watch it slip away in the final seconds against UCF. The finish was as chaotic as it was painful, with multiple reviewed plays shaping the closing stretch before the Knights cashed in on a walk-off touchdown catch and the extra point that sent the Jayhawks home with a 33-32 loss.
For Lance Leipolds team, the result fit an all-too-familiar script. Kansas has now lived through too many late-game defeats under Leipold, and this one stung because the comeback was real, the margin was there, and the decisive play came after a sequence that already had the game teetering on the edge. Caden Piening delivered the touchdown that ended it, leaving Kansas with another reminder of how quickly a promising finish can unravel. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Football Is Drifting Toward A Reset It Can Barely Afford
Kansas footballs slide this fall has put Lance Leipold in an uncomfortable spotlight, with the Jayhawks sitting at 3-6 and the path back to bowl eligibility growing narrower by the week. For a program that had finally started to feel stable under Leipold, the current drift is jarring, especially as the losses pile up and the questions around the direction of the team get louder.
Leipolds overall mark at Kansas now sits at 30-40, and the financial reality around any coaching change only adds another layer of hesitation. His buyout would be $17.9 million if he is fired after December 1, 2026, and with a major stadium construction project already stretching the programs resources, the Jayhawks are staring at a reset that would be expensive to make and even harder to justify. [Read more 🡒]