Phil Steele projects Kansas to make a bowl game in 2023

Kansas stole a ton of headlines over the first few weeks of last season as the Jayhawks opened at an impressive 5-0. That reached its peak as College Gameday came to Lawrence for the first time ever when KU reached the Top-25.

To be fair, they did close the year by losing seven of their final eight games. However, in 2023, Phil Steele does foresee more success for the Kansas in his season preview for college football. Considering their offense, which finished in the Top-25 nationally, and their returning experience, his projections, for the first time in a long time, are predicting good things for the Jayhawks from the jump this fall.

“Kansas is dangerous on offense and, with 17 returning starters, are No. 1 on my experience chart!,” wrote Steele.

“From ’09-’21 (13 years), Kansas had not topped one Big 12 win in a season (eight wins total),” continued Steele. “But, for the first time since 2008, all nine sets of my power ratings are calling for Kansas to make a bowl game!”

Kansas won their first five games in ’22, with three coming against upcoming members of the Big 12, by averaging 41.6 points per game. They went on to average 35.6 points per game for the entire season.

Even so, their defense came back to bite them in league play. KU’s own offensive success kept them in the shootouts but, in their seven losses, they gave up an average of 46.4 points a contest with three teams cracking 50 points.

Still, bringing back a lot of the production from their best season, overall and in the Big 12, since ’08 is giving the Jayhawks a solid foundation to build on as Steele pointed out. That alone should give Lance Leipold’s team a chance to make a second consecutive bowl game for the first time in a decade and a half.

Anonymous Big 12 coach says Kansas is a ‘wildcard’ in 2023

For nearly the past 15 offseasons, nobody would be thinking too much of Kansas football in late June. Things are now different in Lawrence, with head coach Lance Leipold producing the feel-good story of the season and getting the Jayhawks to a bowl game. Six wins is a massive improvement for the program and they are still looking to take a step forward.

Leipold still has a lot of work to do, even with recent success. An anonymous Big 12 coach called Kansas a “wildcard” heading into the 2023 season due to the coaching. The coach believes the roster still has a ton of room to improve. With how Leipold runs his offense, though, Big 12 defenses will be on their heels.

“They’re a wildcard this season,” the coach said. “They’re still not particularly talented, but they’re so creative on offense that it compensates in a lot of places. It’s a lot of work pre-snap and with formations, and they’re very disciplined in how they do it.”

There is still a glaring problem for Kansas according to the anonymous coach. The defense is “far behind” and will once again cause headaches.

“The defense is pretty far behind,” the coach said. “They’re working the portal to get up to par, but it’s still a ways off in terms of depth.”

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