What once was one of the most hapless football teams in America has suddenly awakened on the gridirons of the Big 12 in recent years, as the Kansas Jayhawks have won more games (15 to be exact) in the last two years than they did between 2014 and 2021 (14).
Much of that on-field renaissance can be attributed to head coach Lance Leipold, who has built KU into a gridiron juggernaut by recruiting unheralded skill position players like quarterback Jalon Daniels, who has 4,297 passing yards (and 602 yards on the ground) with 44 total touchdowns in 25 games in Lawrence - a big contributing factor to the increased interest in those participating in Kansas sports betting.
With Leopold and do-it-all running back Devin Neal back for KU this fall, Leipold’s bunch enters 2024 with a win total over/under of 8.5, which speaks to the heights that the Jayhawks have climbed under their fourth-year head coach.
Utilizing FanDuel Kansas Sportsbook’s current win total for the 2024 college football season, Kansas was found to be set at 8.5 wins (+110 over). Utilizing SportsReference.com, we found all teams with an 8.5-win total line in the last 3 seasons and how they performed.
Season Performance Of 8.5 Win Total College Football Teams
The information below can be useful while navigating Kansas sports betting apps. Here are the numbers for teams with an 8.5 win total to begin the season.
Situation | Number of Teams | Percentage* |
|---|---|---|
Under 8.5 Wins | 18 of 31 | 58.1% |
Over 8.5 Wins | 13 of 31 | 41.9% |
College Football Playoff Appearance | 0 of 31 | 0.0% |
Year-End AP Poll Top 25 Team | 10 of 31 | 32.6% |
*Rounded to nearest whole number
Can KU Clear 8.5 Win Total Figure In 2024?
Since 2014, teams with preseason win total figures of 8.5 have won nine or more games 18 times (out of 31 total teams), meaning 58.1% of those squads hit their preseason number.
Of those 31 squads, none made it to the CFP at year’s end, but 10 of them (or 32.6%) were included in the final AP top-25 poll at season’s end, which would be the second year in a row that KU has done so if they achieve such things in 2024.
Leipold and company will have a fighting chance to finish the year ranked if Daniels and Neal, who has gained 1,090 and 1,280 rushing yards in the last two seasons, can stay healthy for KU this fall.
To get there, KU will have to beat teams like Lindenwood, UNLV, TCU, Houston, Iowa State, and Colorado at home (though it won’t be in Lawrence because Booth Memorial Stadium is closed for renovations this fall), while holding the line away from home against Illinois, West Virginia, Arizona State, Kansas State, BYU and Baylor this fall.
With the right mixture of good luck and good play, KU can emerge as the first team with a preseason win total of 8.5 to make the CFP, though it’ll take a lot of good football for the Jayhawks to reach such great heights in the school’s fourth fall under the leadership of Leipold and his staff in Lawrence.
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USA Today photo by Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal.
