College Football Predictions – Kansas Jayhawks 2019 College Football Preview
2018 Recap
Record – 3-9
ATS – 7-5
The Jayhawks stumbled to their 10th consecutive losing season but at least there were a couple of enjoyable moments. They won their first road game since 2009 (!!) by taking care of business at Central Michigan and were able to SHOCK THE WORLD by beating TCU in a thriller (27-26 final).
The big news on campus is the arrival of HC Les Miles who did some great work at LSU and led them to a National Championship in 2007. And don’t forget that Miles steered the Cowboys to three straight bowl games when he was at Oklahoma St.
There is excitement in Lawrence. What are these guys capable of in 2019?
2019 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating
Big 12 – #10
Kansas Jayhawks 2019 Outlook
OFFENSE
The Jayhawks showed modest improvement on offense last year but could still only muster 23.8 PPG (#8 Big 12). New OC Les Koenning is going to have his work cut out for him this year as there are numerous questions that need to be answered. The starting QB role is up for grabs and nothing was decided during the spring. Our KANSAS QB ROOM INSIDERS believe that JC transfer Thomas MacVittie (originally at Pitt) has the upper hand based on his size and ability to get the ball down the field. It’s just a best guess at this point. The BIG question is the status of star RB Pooka Williams who rushed for over 1,100 yards and 7 TDs whilst grabbing 33 receptions last year. We will likely hear more by the time we head into August, but it’s possible that he misses part or all of the season due to a domestic incident. The rushing attack needs Williams to be a good enough option for Kansas to build the offense around. Stay tuned. The WR and TE groups are a bit of a mystery with not many proven commodities. The good news? The offensive line is shaping up nicely and they boast a star LT in senior Hakeem Adeniji.
In our estimation it seems that Kansas will take a small step backwards unless they get a full season out of RB Williams.
<update: star RB Pooka Williams suspended week 1, then good to go>
DEFENSE
New DC DJ Eliot better pack a lunch. It’s gonna take some work to get the Jayhawks playing respectable defense. Last year they made very impressive strides allowing just 30.0 PPG after yielding 43.4 in 2017. Now Kansas moves on with just five returning starters including one of their all-time great LBs Joe Dineen who bagged 147 tackles a season ago and is now trying to make his mark in the NFL (Broncos). The Jayhawks also led the Big 12 in takeaways LY with 27 in just 12 games. This season they change their alignment to a 3-4 base and only have one returning starter in the front seven. The secondary is probably the best unit on the team but they will be under stress if the men up front can’t get pressure on the QB.
Look for the Jayhawks to perform a bit worse and potentially give up the most yards of any Big 12 defense. We hope not, it just might be a tough transition year.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kansas must acclimate a new PK to the mix but they do have one of the best punters in the Big 12 in Kyle Thompson. If Pooka Williams is cleared to play it would be good news for the KR team.
Schedule Analysis
Overall – They might be able to get off to a good start with home games vs Indiana St and Coastal Carolina on the menu. A mid-season stretch facing TCU, Oklahoma and Texas may be the low point of the season.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – Texas Tech (October 26)
The biggest game of the year is the home battle with hated rival Kansas St. Yup, that game is after the match-up with the Red Raiders. Could be a look-ahead spot.
Season Win Total
Over 3 +125
Under 3 -145
MEGALOCKS says:
Slight lean to the ‘over’. Will revisit closer to the beginning of the season.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
On October 6, 1990, Kansas and Iowa St played to a 34-34 tie. That gave Kansas the all-time FBS record for number of tie games (58). For obvious reasons, this record is now safer than DiMaggio’s MLB hitting streak (56).
MEGALOCKS ATS Outlook: Neutral
It’s great to see Les Miles back in the HC seat. He takes a lot of heat for someone with a lifetime record of 142-55, but what do we know?
This feels like the definition of SQUARE ONE and we’d be surprised to see them bag more than a small handful of wins. Getting RB Pooka Williams back for an entire season (suspended week 1) gives them a shot to SHOCK THE WORLD once or twice. It’s not like the bottom of the Big 12 is filled with JUGGERNAUTS and don’t forget that Kansas starts with a pair of winnable games.
The smart move is to take a patient approach and stay clear of these guys from an ATS perspective until we see how they look in September.
Good luck, Kansas and Les Miles!
Want more Kansas football ?
WEBSITE
http://www.kuathletics.com/index.aspx?path=football&
FORUM
http://boards.kusports.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=1&page=1
https://247sports.com/college/kansas/Board/Gridiron-Talk-103723/
https://kansas.forums.rivals.com/forums/memorial-stadium-slant-suite.22/
NEWS
http://www2.kusports.com/news/football/
http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/2305/kansas-jayhawks
http://bleacherreport.com/kansas-jayhawks-football
http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/kansas-jayhawks
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