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Christopher Boan is a lead writer at BetKansas.com specializing in covering state issues. He covered sports and sports betting in Arizona for more than seven years.
Kansas Football Bowl Projections: Odds For Jayhawks’ 2024-25 Bowl Game
What once had the trappings of a lost season in Lawrence has suddenly sprung to live for Kansas football fans and the team’s Kansas sportsbooks backers. The Jayhawks punched their way off the ropes of a five-game losing streak by beating Houston, No. 17 Iowa State and No. 6 BYU in the span of four games to move to 4-6 for the year.
On a brisk Saturday night along the foothills of the Wasatch, the Jayhawks exacted their latest bit of gridiron revival. KU’s defense forced two turnovers to escape BYU with a win, handing the Cougard their first defeat this season even though BYU had the edge in yards (354-242) and first downs (23-13).
The result was a 17-13 win over the sixth-ranked Cougars, keeping KU’s bowl hopes alive. With that in mind, BetKansas.com broke down the latest hypothetical odds on KU’s bowl game for 2024, with this week’s update including stops in Phoenix, Memphis and Shreveport for Leipold and company. Check out our real money Kansas sports betting promos too.
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Kansas Football Bowl Projections: Odds For Jayhawks’ 2024-25 Bowl Game
Bowl | Location | Conference Opponent | Odds | Pct. Chance |
Guaranteed Rate Bowl | Phoenix, AZ | Vs. Big Ten | +600 | 14.3% |
Liberty Bowl | Memphis, TN | Vs. SEC | +825 | 10.8% |
Independence Bowl | Shreveport, LA | Vs. TBD | +1650 | 5.7% |
The Field/No Bowl |
|
| -225 | 69.2% |
KU’s stretch run includes a home finale against 17th ranked Colorado on Saturday before a road finale in Waco against 6-4 Baylor to close out the regular season for wagering at Kansas sports betting apps.
With Saturday’s four-point upset victory, KU enters those final two games needing a pair of victories to finish the season 6-6 and on the right side of bowl eligibility. After a 1-5 start, coach Lance Leipold’s team has been up for the task lately.
Where Will KU Play This Bowl Season?
The odds are still stacked against KU making a bowl, with DraftKings Kansas Sportsbook listing the Jayhawks as a +120 home underdog against Coach Prime and Colorado on Saturday. But there’s still a shot that a win over the Buffs clears the way for a 6-6 season in Lawrence.
In our exclusive bowl projection chart, we give KU +600 odds of returning to Phoenix to play in the Rate Bowl (formerly the Guaranteed Rate Bowl) at Chase Field for a second year in a row. That ranks ahead of Memphis’ Liberty Bowl (+825) and Shreveport’s Independence Bowl (+1650) this week.
All three games rank behind our odds that KU fails to hit six wins for the year and misses bowl season(-225). But at least KU is still alive for a postseason contest, which is more than many figured when the Jayhawks were 1-5 after losing to Arizona State on Oct. 5.
Consecutive victories over ranked foes have flipped the script on KU’s season, though. And the Jayhawks have one more shot at slaying a top-25 team this weekend at Arrowhead Stadium, when they mee the Buffaloes on Saturday afternoon in Kansas City.
Also find out where Kansas ranks among the unluckiest college football teams this season.
Kansas Bowl Game History Since 2019
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 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.
USA Today photo by Evert Nelson
Q&As
For the 2024-25 college football season, we currently project Kansas to miss out on bowl season (-225 odds). If they finish 6-6 and become bowl eligible, we think The Rate Bowl in Phoenix (+600 odds) is the most likely KU destination.
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.
Cited by leading media organizations, such as:
