It’s no secret that the Kansas football program’s current 17-game losing streak to Kansas State is a bit of a sore subject in Lawrence.
For one, it illustrates clearly that the Wildcats have had the Jayhawks’ number for the better part of the past two decades.
Beyond that, though, thinking about the dreaded streak serves as a reminder of the ones that got away, a few recent close calls, in Lawrence and Manhattan, that KU could have won but didn’t.
Those memories probably sting fans, coaches and current and former players more than the size of the streak itself.
So, what can we expect this year, when the Jayhawks travel to Manhattan on Oct. 17 to try their luck yet again?
It seems like a safe bet — at least today — that the Wildcats will be favored. And they’ll also have the more experienced team in the rivalry, with several key players at key positions having been through it — and won — a couple of times before.
The head coaching position is one that will be new this year. Sort of.
With Chris Kliemann and his 7-0 record against Kansas no longer on the KSU sideline, former K-State QB Collin Klein is now running things in his first head coaching gig.
As the KSU quarterback, Klein was a part of four victories in 4 years, three of them lopsided and two of them with him as the starter.
But he’s the coach now. And we don’t quite know what that will look like yet, even though he seems like a perfect fit to take the Wildcats into the next era.
What we do know is how past head coaches — on both sides of the rivalry — have fared in their debut against the other side.
Here’s a quick look back at how the most recent head coaches for both schools got their teams to perform in their first Sunflower Showdown.
Spoiler alert: Only 2 of the 10 entries on the list below fully enjoyed their first taste of the in-state rivalry.
KANSAS
Lance Leipold - Nov. 6, 2021 - Leipold’s first KU team, which finished 2-10, fell to the Wildcats, 35-10, in front of the Jayhawks’ home crowd. While the Wildcats controlled most of this one, the game did feature Jalon Daniels at QB and Devin Neal at RB, two of the most significant players of the Leipold era. They didn’t get the job done, but they certainly made the rivalry more competitive.
Les Miles - Nov. 2, 2019 - The buzz was dwindling for Miles by the time the Jayhawks welcomed the Wildcats to town at 3-5 overall during what became a 3-9 season. K-State won this one 38-10, in convincing fashion, all but ending the Jayhawks’ hopes of getting hot late and finding a way to qualify for a bowl game.
David Beaty - Nov. 28, 2015 - Just 24,000 fans showed up for the regular season finale at Memorial Stadium during Beaty’s winless first season. And those who did watched K-State dominate, winning 45-14 after scoring 28 points in the first quarter alone.
Charlie Weis - Oct. 6, 2012 - Weis walked into Manhattan with a 1-3 record after a rough non-conference slate and walked out of there on the wrong end of a 56-16 beatdown, the first of five similarly lopsided losses during KU’s 1-11 season.
Turner Gill - Oct. 14, 2010 - Believe it or not, Gill’s team suffered just the second biggest beating by the Wildcats, losing 59-7 in a home game that was never close and was a mere footnote in the weird 3-9 season that set the stage for the rough decade that followed for the program.
Mark Mangino - Nov. 2, 2002 - K-State scored 30 points in the 1st quarter alone and did not even have to score in the 4th quarter en route to a 64-0 rout at Memorial Stadium that set several records and featured KU playing without starting QB Bill Whittemore.
KANSAS STATE
Collin Klein - Oct. 17, 2026 - Outcome TBD
Chris Klieman - Nov. 2, 2019 - While the Les Miles hire at Kansas made the far bigger splash, it was clear by this point that Klieman was the better fit and off to a much better start. This 38-10 win over Miles’ first KU team in Lawrence moved the Wildcats to 6-2 in what became an 8-win season and bumped K-State to No. 16 in the national polls.
Bill Snyder 2 - Nov. 7, 2009 - After suffering through a few lean Ron Prince seasons, the Wildcats welcomed their hero home to clean up the mess and, as luck would have it, earned their 6th win of the season to become bowl eligible again with a 17-10 victory over KU in Manhattan.
Ron Prince - Nov. 18, 2006 - The lone KU beatdown on this list, Prince’s first of three straight losses to the Jayhawks — which sealed his fate in Manhattan — was a 39-20 Kansas home win in which KU great Jon Cornish ran for 201 yards and 2 TDs. The Jayhawks, under then-5th-year coach Mark Mangino, outscored the Wildcats 32-10 in the first and fourth quarters.
Bill Snyder 1 - Oct. 28, 1989 - While neither team was anything to write home about — remember, this was two years after the two teams tied 17-all in the famed “Toilet Bowl” matchup — the Jayhawks welcomed Snyder to the rivalry with a loss, 21-16 in Manhattan during a 1-11 debut season for the new K-State coach who went on to become a college football legend.
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