2022 Kansas Jayhawks Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions

2022 KANSAS JAYHAWKS BETTING ODDS, PREDICTIONS, PREVIEW

Without a doubt, Kansas has been the worst Power Five program in college football for over a decade. The Jayhawks haven’t finished better than 3-9 since 2009, and they haven’t won more than one conference game for 14 straight seasons.

Lance Leipold knew that he had the Mt. Everest of tall tasks when he was hired to turn around this program, but Leipold might just be the man to turn around the Jayhawks. He won six national championships in eight years at Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater, and he made the Buffalo Bulls the premier program in the MAC East during his six years there.

Leipold had little chance of success in his first season after accepting the job in May. The Jayhawks were blown out in six of their first seven games against FBS opponents, resulting in another last place Big 12 finish. However, Kansas was able to go on the road and shock Texas in mid-November, and they lost their last two games to TCU and West Virginia by a combined nine points.

Young quarterback Jalon Daniels took over under center in November, and he lit a fire under this offense. He was able to make defenders miss to avoid sacks, as he completed 69.2% of his passes for 7.3 YPA with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. Daniels enters the season as the starter ahead of the more experienced Jason Bean, but both quarterbacks have a mobile element in their games.

Updated on 12/23/2024
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Kansas was able to keep local running back Devin Neal in state, and he emerged as the best weapon on offense over the course of the season. Neal ran for 707 yards (4.5 YPC) and eight touchdowns, finishing with more than three times as many rushing yards as the next closest running back.

This offensive line could make a lot of improvement in 2022. Four of five starters return up front, including solid center Mike Novitsky and potential NFL draft pick Earl Bostick. Leading receiver Kwamie Lassiter II has moved on, but Trevor WilsonLawrence Arnold, and Luke Grimm are all talented sophomores that saw significant action with at least 20 receptions in 2021.

The Jayhawks had major problems on defense last year. They finished 126th in Defensive SP+, ranking ahead of just four teams nationally. That led to Leipold dipping into the transfer pool in order to bolster his defense, and Kansas brought in MAC standout defensive end Lonnie Phelps from Miami (Ohio) and three Big Ten players.

The good news is that Kansas started a bunch of underclassmen since Leipold knew that his first season was going to be a wash. Eight starters return on this side of the ball, and five of the projected starters this season are sophomores.

Kenny Logan was a Second Team All-Big 12 selection at safety, and Kalon Gervin should make an immediate impact after transferring in from Michigan State. However, this defense needs to find a way to get to the passer, as none of the returning players had more than two sacks for the Jayhawks last season.

It's going to take a little more time to rebuild the defense than the offense, but Leipold has the Jayhawks moving in the right direction. Kansas should be 2-2 at the end of September as the Jayhawks will likely be able to take down FCS Tennessee Tech and Duke at home. The Big 12 isn’t as strong as it has been in the past, and there’s a really good chance that Kansas has three wins by mid-October as the Jayhawks host rebuilding Iowa State and TCU.

Best Bet: Over 2.5 Wins (-115)

2022 KANSAS JAYHAWKS SCHEDULE

  • Fri., Sept. 2 - vs. Tennessee Tech
  • Sat., Sept. 10 - at West Virginia
  • Sat., Sept. 17 - at Houston
  • Sat., Sept. 24 - vs. Duke
  • Sat., Oct. 1 - vs. Iowa State
  • Sat., Oct. 8 - vs. TCU
  • Sat., Oct. 15 - at Oklahoma
  • Sat., Oct. 22 - at Baylor
  • Sat., Nov. 5 - vs. Oklahoma State
  • Sat., Nov. 12 - at Texas Tech
  • Sat., Nov. 19 - vs. Texas
  • Sat., Nov. 26 - at Kansas State

WIN TOTAL ODDS

  • Over 2.5 (-115)
  • Under 2.5 (-115)
Expectations are low for KU and Jalon Daniels with a win total of 2.5 for 2022. (Getty)

KANSAS JAYHAWKS ODDS TO WIN BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP

+10000

Leipold won’t be able to have the Jayhawks bowl eligible until at least next year, so any thoughts of a conference championship are too much. No one knows what will happen next year though as the Big 12 could be set to change dramatically. 

KANSAS JAYHAWKS ODDS TO WIN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

+250000

If Leipold could even get Kansas to nine wins, he would be a unanimous national coach of the year choice. The Jayhawks have only won 10 or more games three times in program history, and they have had a football team since 1901.

KANSAS JAYHAWKS 2022 HEISMAN CONTENDERS & ODDS

The Kansas Jayhawks do not have any Heisman contenders entering the 2022 season.

2021 KANSAS JAYHAWKS BETTING RESULTS

  • SU: 2-10
  • ATS: 4-7-1
  • O/U: 7-5
  • ATS-Home: 2-4
  • ATS-Road: 2-3-1
  • ATS-Favorite: 0-1
  • ATS-Underdog: 4-6-1

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