Kansas Football Given Middle-of-the-Pack Big 12 Odds Entering 2026 Season

With less than three weeks remaining before Kansas opens the 2026 season against Long Island University, sportsbooks have placed the Jayhawks squarely in the middle of the Big 12 championship race.

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According to BetMGM, Kansas enters the season with +3000 odds to win the Big 12, the 11th-best odds in the conference. The Jayhawks also carry a 5.5-win over/under for the regular season, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding Lance Leipold’s squad heading into fall.

Kansas Faces Plenty of Questions Entering the Season

Much of the preseason conversation has centered on the quarterback competition.

Redshirt junior Cole Ballard remains the favorite to win the starting job, but redshirt sophomore Isaiah Marshall continues to push him throughout fall camp. Rice transfer Chase Jenkins is also battling for playing time, giving Kansas multiple options as it searches for a successor to Jalon Daniels.

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Elsewhere on offense, the Jayhawks appear to be in much better shape.

Former Kansas State standout Dylan Edwards headlines a revamped running back room that also features Syracuse transfer Yasin Willis, Colorado State transfer Jalen Dupree and freshman Kory Amachree. At tight end, veterans Carson Bruhn and Leyton Cure provide experience, while Cam Pickett, Keaton Kubecka and Tate Nagy return at wide receiver alongside transfers Nahzae Cox and Nik McMillan.

The biggest unknowns remain along the offensive line and on defense, where Kansas must replace several key contributors while improving against the run after inconsistent performances last season.

Big 12 Odds Reflect Confidence

BetMGM currently lists Texas Tech as the overwhelming conference favorite at +100, followed by BYU at +550.

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Kansas sits at +3000, grouped among a cluster of programs viewed as legitimate bowl contenders but not favorites to compete for the conference championship.

Arizona and Arizona State both sit around +2000, while several other Big 12 programs occupy the same middle tier as the…

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Publish date : 2026-08-19 00:29:00

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