Kansas
Kansas is 3-6 and No. 46 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 5.6 points better than an average FBS team. Last game: lost 33-32 vs UCF in Week 10.
Week 11: at West Virginia, Saturday, Nov 14: the matchup, unit by unit
Why Kansas is No. 46
- Kansas's rating is 5.6: the machine's estimate that Kansas is 5.6 points better than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 46 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at 2.8, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it up 2.8.
- The biggest weekly moves: +5.1 after Week 5 (W 55-0 vs Middle Tennessee) and −1.7 after Week 7 (L 24-35 at Kansas State).
- Its record is 3-6. The 6 losses were to No. 12 Utah, No. 20 Missouri, No. 43 TCU, No. 56 UCF, No. 66 Kansas State, No. 68 Arizona State, by 9.8 points on average. The 3 wins came by 33.7 points on average; the best was over No. 29 Baylor. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 53 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 45 Pittsburgh (5.8); just below is No. 47 Washington (5.3).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
Lance Leipold is in his 6th season at Kansas (since 2021). This season: 3-6. At Kansas overall: 30-41, counting this season.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 9 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 154-274 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 2162 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 12-8 |
| Yards per attempt* | 7.9No. 44 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 15.8%No. 6 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 3.5%No. 24 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 382-1812 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 4.7No. 47 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 16.4%No. 26 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 13.9%No. 21 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 29.4No. 58 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 6.11No. 45 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 36.8%No. 97 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 64.7%No. 49 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 15No. 119 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 24.8No. 70 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 5.45No. 59 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 6.8No. 50 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 4.3No. 88 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 5.4%No. 84 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 10No. 80 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 33.3%No. 28 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- Isaiah Marshall126-228, 1716 yds, 11 TD, 7 INT
- Cole Ballard25-43, 381 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
- Dylan Edwards138 carries, 596 yds, 5 TD
- Isaiah Marshall102 carries, 528 yds, 4 TD
- Yasin Willis27 carries, 125 yds, 2 TD
Receiving
- Nik McMillan31 catches, 497 yds, 5 TD
- Nahzae Cox16 catches, 446 yds, 2 TD
- Cam Pickett36 catches, 360 yds, 1 TD
Tackles
- Trey Lathan62
- Corey Gordon46
- David Santiago41
Sacks
- Leroy Harris III6.5
- David Santiago3
- Daveon Crouch2
Interceptions
- Trey Lathan2
- Jalen Todd1
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- Isaiah MarshallMost passes in the last game8 games228 attempts83%
- Cole Ballard4 games43 attempts16%
Carrying
- Dylan Edwards9 games138 carries53%
- Yasin Willis3 games27 carries10%
- Jalen Dupree4 games25 carries10%
- Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman4 games18 carries7%
Catching
- Cam Pickett7 games36 catches23%
- Nik McMillan8 games31 catches20%
- Dylan Edwards8 games19 catches12%
- Carson Bruhn7 games17 catches11%
Tackling
- Trey Lathan9 games62 tackles12%
- Corey Gordon9 games46 tackles9%
- David Santiago9 games41 tackles8%
- Leroy Harris III9 games36 tackles7%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 W 51–6 vs Long Island University. Long Island University is an FCS team, so there is no FBS baseline to grade this one against.
- Week 2 L 21–38 vs Missouri. The pass defense gave ground: Missouri got 9.7 yards an attempt, 2.7 over what it usually gains. Lost the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 3 L 17–24 vs Arizona State (neutral site). The pass defense was the strength: Arizona State got 4.1 yards an attempt, 2.8 under what it usually gains. Lost the turnover battle by 3.
- Week 5 W 55–0 vs Middle Tennessee. The run game was the strength: 8.3 yards a carry, 3.7 more than Middle Tennessee usually allows. Its most yards a carry of the season.
- Week 6 L 24–41 at Utah. The passing game was the strength: 9.0 yards an attempt, 2.4 more than Utah usually allows.
- Week 7 L 24–35 at Kansas State. The run defense gave ground: Kansas State got 7.0 yards a carry, 2.5 over what it usually gains. The most yards a carry it has allowed all season.
- Week 8 W 25–24 vs Baylor. No unit was far from the usual. The biggest gap was the run game: 3.7 yards a carry, 0.6 more than Baylor usually allows. The machine had Baylor by 1.8 (54%), so this was a win it did not see coming.
- Week 9 L 16–22 at TCU. The run defense gave ground: TCU got 5.2 yards a carry, 2.8 over what it usually gains.
- Week 10 L 32–33 vs UCF. The run game was the strength: 5.0 yards a carry, 1.5 more than UCF usually allows. The machine had Kansas by 7.5 (69%), so this was a loss it did not see coming.