We’re now less than two months out from the 2026 Kansas football season opener, a 7 p.m. Friday night home game on Sept. 4 against Long Island at the newest version of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
With that in mind, let’s take a quick look at the rest of the Jayhawks’ 2026 schedule, which features a couple of really tough challenges early, a stretch of nine straight weeks on the field late and just one bye week all season.
To do so, we’ll handicap all 12 of KU’s regular season games by putting a label on each of them while moving in chronological order.
Here goes.
• Tougher Than You Might Think - Sept. 4 vs. Long Island
Don’t get me wrong, KU should win this game and Lance Leipold’s team should win it easily. But this is the season opener for the Jayhawks — with a new QB, by the way — and it will be the Sharks’ second game of the season, after opening a week earlier against North Dakota on Aug. 27. On top of that, this is a Long Island team that won 6 games last season.
• Best Game On The Schedule - Sept. 11 vs. Missouri
It might not end up being the most competitive or even the most exciting, but, come on; any time the Tigers and Jayhawks get together, in almost any sport, you’re looking at a game that automatically starts with more juice than just about any other and one that brings a ton of buzz before, during and after. The fact that this one’s on KU’s campus, at a reduced-capactiy-but-improved-everything-else David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, only adds to the fact that this one will be the marquee games of KU’s season.
• All Eyes On Me - Sept. 19 vs. Arizona State in London
FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff is coming. The Jayhawks and Sun Devils will be talked about all week on the network leading up to the game. And the game itself will be a bit historic. Especially to the folks in England. The matchup itself could be a tough challenge, but it’s not like this one is unwinnable. ASU is likely a top-third preseason pick. And the Jayhawks will probably land in the bottom third. But the game is early and it’s a long way from home for both teams. No matter the outcome, the opportunity to play in a showcase game like this is big for KU’s exposure. Winning the game would merely be icing on the cake.
• Feel-Good Gimme - Oct. 3 vs. Middle Tennessee
This is the one you’re thinking about when you want to peg Long Island in the opener as an easy win. Middle Tennessee was 3-9 last season and should be just what the doctor ordered for KU after the long road trip to London and back-to-back battles with Mizzou and ASU. That, as much as anything, is why this is the feel-good game KU needs. Even if the Jayhawks do start 1-2, the chance to return home and get back to .500 is all a team can ask for. And they’ll have the extra week of their bye after the London trip to not only get over the jet lag but also prep for Middle Tennessee.
• Toughest True Road Game - Oct. 10 at Utah
The Utes will probably be ranked in the preseason and even though they’re working with a new head coach, so much of what they’ve been known for should still be part of their culture. In addition to that, they’ll have their leading rusher and starting QB from last season’s 11-win team back to run the offense. There may be growing pains, but by mid-October, Utah should have its feet firmly planted and Kansas will have its hands full in the Beehive State.
• No Expectations - Oct. 17 at Kansas State
This one will obviously be a tough road test, too, given the fact that it’s been so long since KU has won in Manhattan — or against K-State anywhere for that matter. But after a few seasons of high hopes and serious expectations to finally end the losing streak in the Sunflower Showdown, there probably won’t be too many people expecting this to be the year that the Jayhawks finally get the job done. That’s not necessarily good news, but it also eliminates any extra pressure in a game that’s already pretty high-stakes stuff.
• Must Win - Oct. 24 vs. Baylor
OK. I get that it’s a little foolish to call a game in late-October a must-win contest, a few months before we see what even happens in the six games on the schedule before it. But assuming that the front half of KU’s is much tougher than the back half, this becomes a huge game for the Jayhawks if they hope to even contend for bowl eligibility. For one, it’s homecoming. For two, the Bears were a 5-7/3-6 team last year like the Jayhawks were, and a loss here would be severely detrimental to KU’s bowl chances. A win is likely to be victory No. 3 or 4 and would give the Jayhawks a real crack at getting to 6 wins in those final five games. But, depending on their record coming into this one, a home loss to a beatable foe might signal lights out on those hopes.
• Throwback Week - Oct. 31 at TCU
TCU head coach Sonny Dykes is a throwback coach if ever there were one, and, from the sound of things, the Horned Frogs are going to use a little more throwback mentality instead of being such a heavy Air Raid team this season, with more physicality at the core of what they’re about. They’ll be brand new at the game’s most important position, but with a veteran defense and a solid O-Line. Sound throwback enough for you? This seems like the type of team you’d rather play earlier in the year than later.
• Beware of the Revenge Factor - Nov. 7 vs. UCF
UCF was winless on the road (0-5) during the 2025 season, and their first few games away from home this season could be tough, too — at Pitt, at Houston and at Oklahoma State. Beyond that, the Knights surely remember their inability to punch it in from the goal line to beat KU last season and may very well be seeking a bit of revenge for that loss. Revenge games are kind of tacky in the transfer portal era, but I’m not sure what else to call this one.
• Most Winnable Road Game - Nov. 14 at West Virginia
The Mountaineers struggled last season and that included a 41-10 beatdown by the Jayhawks in Lawrence. So, Kansas should have a fair amount of confidence heading into this one, even with it coming late in the season. The trip to Morgantown has always been tough on Kansas (among others) and it would not surprise me at all if KU’s the underdog in this game. Still, when you consider the rest of the conference road slate, this is probably the most winnable Big 12 game away from home.
• Toughest Home Game - Nov. 21 vs. BYU
The Cougars have become a powerhouse in the Big 12, and there’s no reason to expect that to change this season. Most preseason publications will have them ranked in the Top 15 and the expectation out in Provo is for this bunch to compete for a Big 12 title and possibly be a contender in the national title picture. The Jayhawks have played them well in recent years, in wins and losses, but this one sure looks like a super-tough home game late in the season when KU may not be able to afford any more losses.
• Real Chance at Win No. 6 - Nov. 28 at Oklahoma State
All right, let’s say for a second that the Jayhawks are able to get to 5 wins in the 11 games before this one. If that’s the case, especially against that schedule, they should view this regular season finale in Stillwater as a game that gives them a legitimate shot at getting win No. 6 for the first time since 2023. The Cowboys have a new coach and a new quarterback and probably weren’t too happy with how catastrophically bad last season went. So, expect them to be better. But they still feel, for now at least, like a team that KU should expect to beat, home or away.
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