A Win Against K-State Could Turn the Kansas Jayhawks’ Season Around

The 2025 Kansas football season has been up and down. The Jayhawks sit at 4-3 overall and 2-2 in Big 12 play, which is not terrible but not quite where fans hoped they would be either.

Lance Leipold's group entered the year with expectations higher than just a bowl berth. KU was supposed to compete near the top of the conference and push for a spot in Arlington in the title game.

That dream has taken a hit after a pair of league losses to Cincinnati and Texas Tech, but the Jayhawks still have a chance to get things back on track, and it starts this Saturday against Kansas State in the Sunflower Showdown.

It has been 16 long years since Kansas last beat its in-state rival. The losing streak has seen more than its share of heartbreak and embarrassment, but it could be different this time around.

For the first time since 2009, KU will enter the rivalry game as the betting favorite at 2.5 or 3.0 points, depending on the sportsbook. That alone shows just how far this program has come.

K-State has quite frankly been nothing special this year. The Wildcats are 3-4 with an ugly loss to Army and haven't won a single game away from home.

Oct 4, 2025; Waco, Texas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats head coach Chris Klieman looks on against the Baylor Bears during the second half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Quarterback Avery Johnson and the offense have struggled, and their defense has been porous all season. If there was ever a time for Jalon Daniels to finally get his first win over K-State, it is now.

Daniels has started in four Sunflower Showdowns as a Jayhawk and come up empty each time. Last year, he had a chance to seal the game with a couple of first downs late in the fourth quarter, only to fumble the ball away and give the Wildcats the ball back for an eventual game-winning field goal.

He couldn't take down Missouri earlier this year either, so this one means a lot — not just for him, but for guys like Devin Neal, Cobee Bryant, and Mello Dotson who helped rebuild this program and never got to experience a win in the rivalry.

KU certainly has issues to fix after getting blown out 42-17 before the bye week. However, the opportunity is sitting right there for this group to do what fans have been wishing for a decade and a half.

Sixteen years of frustration could be rectified this weekend with a victory, and the Jayhawks could renew the hope that has been lost in this season.