Kansas Football’s Matchup With Baylor Could Be Last Chance to Salvage Season

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The Kansas football coaching staff faced a lot of ridicule following Lance Leipold's sixth consecutive loss to Kansas State last week. The Jayhawks currently sit at 2-4 with a winless record in conference play and little optimism for the rest of the season.
The Jayhawks have another chance to break an ugly losing streak this afternoon against Baylor, which has taken down KU in 14 consecutive tries. The Bears are one of many programs that have become kryptonite for the Jayhawks in the current century.
Most Jayhawk fans are down on the state of the football team right now, and rightfully so. However, this is the last week where we can truly say that Kansas has a chance to salvage the 2026 campaign.
Kansas Has a Chance to Salvage Season vs. Baylor
Kansas' losing streaks to K-State and Missouri have become more and more frustrating, with both rivals feeling like automatic losses on the schedule. Still, those results don't mean the Jayhawks have to give up on the rest of the season.
As stressful as the first six contests have been, we're only halfway through the regular season, and the schedule looks a lot easier from here on out. The Jayhawks will play favorable matchups at home today and later in the year against UCF, along with winnable road tilts at West Virginia and TCU.
Bowl eligibility might be a long shot at this point, but finishing with five victories would still be a significant improvement over three. Going winless or winning only once in Big 12 play would be a major step backward for a program that has spent the past six years trying to make forward progress under Leipold.
The Jayhawks might be getting Baylor at the right time, as the Bears are coming off an ugly home loss to TCU in which they didn't score a touchdown. Much like Kansas fans with Leipold, BU supporters are calling for Dave Aranda's head and want him fired immediately.
Going into homecoming week for the students and the third-to-last game in the Booth this season, there's really no better opportunity for the Jayhawks to reclaim momentum and bring even an ounce of excitement back to the program.
As unfortunate as the team's start has been, there is still plenty of time to flip the script. Six games remain in a conference with plenty of parity, and as wild as it sounds, postseason play isn't entirely out of the cards if Kansas takes each week one game at a time.
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A lifelong Kansas basketball and football fan, Josh recently graduated from The College of New Jersey, majoring in Communications and minoring in Journalism. Josh has over 1,500 published articles on KU athletics across Kansas on SI and FanSided's Through the Phog, with additional work at Indiana on SI, Notre Dame on SI, and Pro Football Network. Josh looks to provide a fan's perspective in his writing for the school he has loved since he was a kid. KC Sports Network is the premier destination for Kansas City sports fans with podcasts, YouTube and social media content. Stay connected with the latest news and analysis by following KCSN on all social media platforms.
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