Kansas has never lost to BYU. The Cougars are riding the best two-year stretch of the Kalani Sitake era and they'd love nothing more than to end that streak in Lawrence.
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BYUKU
BYUKU
OverUnder
Best BetBYU
BYU brings back its starting quarterback and a Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year running back, while Kansas is still auditioning quarterbacks in July. That gap alone makes the Cougars the side to trust here, even on the road in a stadium Kansas will be excited to break in.
BYU
+Bear Bachmeier returns after 3,033-yard freshman season
+LJ Martin back after 1,305-yard, Big 12 OPOY campaign
+Back-to-back near-CFP seasons under Sitake
−Lost twice to Texas Tech in 5 weeks, including title game
−Backup QB spot unsettled behind Bachmeier
Kansas
+Leipold extended through 2029, program stability
+New $448M Memorial Stadium renovation debuts in 2026
+Nearly 50 transfer portal additions reload the roster
−Back-to-back 5-7 seasons with no bowl trip
−Starting QB battle still unresolved as of July
−Picked 11th in preseason Big 12 projections
BYU heads into this Big 12 matchup with real continuity at quarterback, bringing back Bear Bachmeier after a true-freshman season that produced 3,033 yards and 15 touchdowns. Kansas can't say the same. With Jalon Daniels gone, Lance Leipold was still sorting out a battle between Cole Ballard and Isaiah Marshall as of mid-July, with Chase Jenkins the odd man out after a spring injury. That gap in QB certainty is the single biggest storyline heading toward this one.
The Jayhawks aren't hiding from where they stand. Leipold has openly admitted he's fallen short of expectations after back-to-back 5-7 seasons with no bowl trip, and Kansas comes in picked 11th in the preseason Big 12 pecking order. What Kansas does have is a defense that was the best of the Leipold era last year, a fresh $448 million Memorial Stadium renovation debuting in 2026, and a program-record haul of nearly 50 transfer additions to reload the roster.
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BYU's calling card is its backfield. LJ Martin was the Big 12's Offensive Player of the Year after piling up 1,305 rushing yards, and pairing him with a more seasoned Bachmeier gives Sitake's offense a floor Kansas simply doesn't have right now. The one crack in BYU's armor: Texas Tech beat the Cougars twice in a five-week span last season, including the conference title game, so there's a legitimate ceiling question against the Big 12's best. Behind Bachmeier, the backup spot between Treyson Bourguet and freshman Enoch Watson is still unsettled too.
BYU Cougars
Nov 13?vs Baylor—
Nov 6?@ Utah—
Oct 30?vs Arizona State—
Oct 16?vs Notre Dame—
Oct 9?vs Iowa State—
Oct 2?@ TCU—
Sep 19?@ Colorado State—
Sep 12?vs Arizona—
Sep 5?vs Utah Tech—
Kansas Jayhawks
Nov 13?@ West Virginia—
Nov 6?vs UCF—
Oct 30?@ TCU—
Oct 16?@ Kansas State—
Oct 9?@ Utah—
Oct 2?vs Middle Tennessee—
Sep 19?vs Arizona State—
Sep 11?vs Missouri—
Sep 4?vs Long Island University—
Recent form.
History leans hard toward Kansas on paper — the Jayhawks have swept all three prior meetings with BYU — but that record predates both programs' current arcs. BYU arrives with a roster that made a Big 12 title game; Kansas arrives with a quarterback competition that still won't be settled for months. That imbalance is exactly why this one's worth circling now, even with kickoff still a long way off.
BYU Cougars
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Kansas Jayhawks
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
None of this is locked in yet — fall camp, the eventual Kansas starter, and how BYU's backup quarterback situation shakes out will all shape how this actually plays out come November. But right now, BYU looks like the program with fewer questions to answer.
