Kansas football is back in Lawrence on Saturday, and the Jayhawks will try to get back on track against UCF in Big 12 play.
Kickoff is set for 2:45 p.m. (CT) at home, with Kansas looking to bounce back from a road loss at TCU.
UCF arrives after falling at home to Baylor. Both teams are still alive for a bowl game this fall, and this one could matter a lot in sorting that out.
Fans can watch the game on ESPN2, with streaming available on ESPN+.
Kansas enters at 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the Big 12, while UCF is 4-4 and 2-3 in conference play. The Jayhawks have been solid at home so far, going 3-1 in Lawrence.
Saturday’s matchup comes on Nov. 7, with the 2:45 p.m. CT kickoff set in Lawrence.
There’s some uncertainty for Kansas at quarterback, with the health of the main options still a question heading into the game. Even so, the Jayhawks’ defense could give the offense some cushion if KU can find the right answer under center. The prediction here: Kansas edges UCF 24-20.
Kansas’ recent stretch includes a 25-24 home win over Baylor on Oct. 24 and a 22-16 loss at TCU on Oct. 31.
UCF’s last three games include a 42-28 loss at Oklahoma State on Oct. 10, a 39-31 home win over BYU on Oct. 24, and a 41-9 home loss to Baylor on Oct. 30.
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 🡒]