Why Kansas may be a lock for the Big 12 Championship

Why the Kansas Jayhawks are a lock for the Big 12 Championship

I’m no college football analyst or local news sports writer, just your average college football fan. But let me tell you, I’ve got a hunch about the Kansas Jayhawks, and after their opening game against Lindenwood, I’m all in. I know we are all still adjusting to the fact that Kansas has a respectable football team, but hear me out—this team is cruising straight to the Big 12 championship game, and I’ll tell you why.

The Schedule

So, everyone’s been yammering all offseason about how the Big 12 is wide open. You’ve got Arizona, Utah, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Kansas, and a few others all in the mix like West Virginia, UCF, and Colorado. And yeah, they’re good, no doubt. But during a break at work I started doing some digging, and something caught my eye: the schedules. Seriously, it’s like someone at the Big 12 office has a soft spot for the Jayhawks.

You can look at the full Big 12 schedule for yourself here

All the big dawgs play each other, which makes sense in a conference. But something started to stick out, I wasn’t seeing the Kansas Jayhawks anywhere.

Of the eight teams listed above, here is how many times they play one of the top teams in a conference game:

Arizona - 4

Utah - 4

Oklahoma St. - 4

Kansas St. - 4

Kansas - 3

West Virginia- 5 (Brutal)

UCF - 4

Colorado - 6 (it’s a prime time to go 7-5)

The Path of Least Resistance

Kansas is just sitting there with only three games against the top teams. And out of those, only Kansas State is a real threat. The other two games are against West Virginia and Colorado—teams that are good, but let’s be real, they’re not exactly scaring the pants off anyone.

Here is a layout of the Jayhawks schedule:

Let’s be conservative and just assume Kansas State gives them a tough time. Even if we drop that one, the only real hurdle left is West Virginia on the road. And if the Jayhawks can handle that, we’re looking at a conference record of 7-2, maybe even 8-1. With all the other top teams beating each other up, Kansas could practically waltz into the Big 12 championship game while the rest of the conference is still trying to figure out what just happened.

In the wild west that is the Big 12, Kansas’s schedule is like finding an oasis in the desert. All the Jayhawks need to do is keep it together, play competent, and they’ll be in Arlington before you can say “Rock Chalk.”

I don’t know, just some thoughts from a college football fan, let me know what you think.

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