3 Final Thoughts Ahead of Kansas vs. West Virginia Football

After what felt like an eternity, the Kansas football team will take the field again tonight, hosting West Virginia for its first game in Big 12 play.

There has been plenty of chatter leading up to this matchup, but the day is finally here. Here at Kansas On SI, we’re going to provide a few last thoughts before kickoff.

3. West Virginia Fans Are Awfully Confident

Perhaps this is just my social media feed, but all I've seen all week are West Virginia fans confidently predicting they’ll take care of business in Lawrence. They're spreading sentiments like "this is still Kansas we’re talking about" or "we own them in the all-time series."

To that I say — didn't this team just lose to the Ohio Bobcats two weeks ago?

Don't get me wrong, I liked the hiring of Rich Rodriguez and believe he'll do a much better job than Neal Brown did. Still, this is still a rebuilding season for the Mountaineers.

MORE: Kansas vs. West Virginia Betting: Is the Spread Too Generous for Jayhawks?

They lost 51 players to the transfer portal and just lost their best offensive weapon, Jahiem White, to a season-ending injury.

Winning a rivalry game is certainly something I wish I could relate to as a KU fan, but I have a feeling Mountaineer fans are going to be disappointed with the outcome tonight.

2. Don’t Blow the Missouri Loss Out of Proportion

Kansas absolutely could and should have defeated Missouri in the Border Showdown if not for a few costly mistakes, but such is football.

The first few weeks of the season didn't raise many concerns when the Jayhawks were beating on inferior opponents, yet the loss to Mizzou sparked a number of questions, one being the state of the running game.

Although it isn't acceptable for the running backs to total just six yards on nine attempts, it's worth noting that Kansas won’t be facing another defense of Missouri's caliber this season, besides potentially Texas Tech.

When people say SEC athletes are bigger, stronger, and faster, they're telling the truth. Missouri is the toughest team the Jayhawks will see on the schedule.

And while this is far from a perfect squad, fans should have confidence in them bouncing back against a much less talented West Virginia team.

Sep 6, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Jamal Roberts (20) runs for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Kansas Jayhawks at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

1. Not Selling Out the Stadium Is a Bad Look

When Athletic Director Travis Goff announced the new renovations would be limiting the capacity of The Booth for the 2025 season, many fans were up in arms, saying the previous capacity was just fine and that it was just a money grab.

Most of the people I've spoken to about the renovated stadium have agreed that the gameday experience is 10 times better. But even now, with about 10,000 fewer seats in the house, the Jayhawks still cannot sell out their conference opener.

To me, that's a pretty bad look. There was so much hype leading into the season for the Fresno State game about the stadium, and that already seems to have died down.

Some fans say The Booth will never be packed to its brim until the Jayhawks start winning rivalry games, and there's some truth to that for the casual fan. Still, it would be nice to see Jayhawk fans show up consistently and stick with this team through the ups and downs.

The following week against Cincinnati is already sold out, so hopefully the Jayhawks take care of business and give fans something to look forward to next week.