This football season at the University of Kansas has raised one question for Kansas sportsbooks customers and Jayhawks fans everywhere.
When does basketball season start?
Coach Lance Leipold has elevated hopes for Kansas football, with back-to-back bowl appearances in 2022 and 2023, punctuated by last year’s nine-win campaign. And 2024 began with high expectations, as KU was ranked No. 22 in the preseason Associated Press poll and got to No. 19 at one point.
But a four-game losing streak has severely damaged any hopes that the Jayhawks might have had to contend for a Big 12 championship. Now their postseason hopes are in serious jeopardy too.
BetKansas.com, where you’ll find real money Kansas sports betting promos, offers an update on where we think KU could go in the postseason, assuming the team qualifies.
Bowl | Location | Conference Opponent | Odds | Pct. Chance |
Myrtle Beach Bowl | Conway, SC | Vs. AAC, MAC, or Sun Belt | +800 | 11.1% |
Armed Forces Bowl | Fort Worth, TX | Vs. AAC or CUSA | +900 | 10.0% |
Guaranteed Rate Bowl | Phoenix, AZ | Vs. Big Ten | +1200 | 7.7% |
Independence Bowl | Shreveport, LA | Vs. TBD | +2100 | 4.5% |
The Field/No Bowl |
|
| -200 | 66.7% |
BetKansas.com crunched the numbers and came up with a list at BetKansas.com of the unluckiest college football teams in 2024. Spoiler alert: KU is at the very top.
After a 1-4 start, including Saturday’s 38-27 defeat at home against TCU, we now project that the most likely outcome for the Jayhawks is that they’ll miss the bowl season completely, or go to a bowl outside of our projections. That entry, called “The Field,” has -200 odds on our chart, or a 66.7% implied probability.
If Kansas rallies to reach six wins, the threshold of bowl eligibility, we think the Myrtle Beach Bowl in Conway, South Carolina, is their most likely destination, at +800 odds (an 11.1% chance).
Those wagering at Kansas sports betting apps don’t have to completely give up on this season, though. There are some winnable games ahead on the schedule if Leopold and the Jayhawks can find some answers. That’s especially true of the passing offense, which ranks No. 112 in the Football Bowl Subdivision at 171.2 yards per game.
This week, Kansas travels to Tempe, Arizona, to face Big 12 newcomer Arizona State. The Wildcats joined the league this year after spending decades in the Pac-12. Arizona State is 3-1 overall but 0-1 in the conference, having lost to Texas Tech on Sept. 21 in the Wildcats’ most recent game.
The Jayhawks are a 3-point underdog at BetMGM Kansas Sportsbook, with an over/under of 50.5. Kansas is +130 on the moneyline with the Kansas sports betting operator, with ASU at -155. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. Central time and will air on ESPN2.
After that game, Kansas takes a week off before facing Houston on Oct. 19 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri (KU’s temporary home while its on-campus stadium is being renovated).
There is one silver lining in the sluggish start for the Jayhawks. If you bet under 8.5 for the regular-season Kansas win total – congratulations. You’re already a winner even if the program isn’t right now.
Year | Bowl | Result |
2023 | Guaranteed Rate Bowl | Win, 49-36 vs. UNLV |
2022 | Liberty Bowl | Loss, 55-53 vs. Arkansas |
2021 | No Bowl Game |
|
2020 | No Bowl Game |
|
2019 | No Bowl Game |
|
The Jayhawks made their return to bowl season in 2022, losing to the Arkansas Razorbacks in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, 55-53, to cap the program’s first six-win season since 2009. In total, KU went 6-7 in 2022, before upping their year-end win total to nine a year ago, thanks in large part to starting the year with four straight wins against Missouri State, Illinois, Nevada and BYU.
Of the Jayhawks’ four losses in 2023, only one came by more than nine points, with KU falling to Texas in Austin, 40-14, on Sept. 30, with additional defeats to Oklahoma State (39-32), Texas Tech (16-13) and Kansas State (31-27) all coming by razor-thin margins.
Luckily for KU, they were able to get the last laugh in Phoenix against the Rebels, pulling off the school’s first bowl game win since 2008 in the Valley to cap off a historic season in Lawrence.
Christopher Boan contributed to this report.
USA Today photo by Evert Nelson
For the 2024-25 college football season, we currently project Kansas to play in the Myrtle Beach Bowl in Conway, South Carolina. We give +800 odds (an 11.1% implied probability) to that scenario.
At this point, the Jayhawks have not earned enough wins to become bowl eligible. Their most recent bowl game was the 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl, a win against UNLV.
Author
Jim Tomlin edits and writes about sports, gambling and the intersection of those two industries. He has 30 years of experience with companies such as the Tampa Bay Times, FanRag, Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition. He now lends his expertise to BetKansas.com, among other sites.
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