West Virginia hasn't forgotten getting run off its own conference stage by Kansas last September. Now the Jayhawks head to Morgantown for the rematch, and both rosters look a lot different than they did back then.
Bush’s Picks
KUWVU
KUWVU
OverUnder
Best BetKansas
Kansas has won this matchup running away in its most recent trip, and it's bringing more proven transfer talent into this cycle than West Virginia's still-green roster overhaul. The Jayhawks' QB uncertainty is a real risk, but West Virginia is asking a defense that got shredded last year to prove it's fixed against a team that's beaten it up before.
Kansas
+Blew out West Virginia 41-10 in last meeting
+More transfer portal talent brought in by Leipold
+Jenkins offers actual starting-QB reps at Rice
−Back-to-back 5-7 seasons under Leipold
−Starting QB job still unresolved deep into fall
−Road environment in Morgantown historically tough for KU
West Virginia
+Program-record recruiting class added talent this cycle
+Year 2 continuity in Rodriguez's system
+Motivated by revenge after last year's blowout loss
−Finished 4-8 and missed a bowl in 2025
−Got run off the field 41-10 by this same team
−QB battle between Hawkins and Fox still not settled
This is a Big 12 game defined by two unresolved quarterback rooms. Kansas is auditioning Cole Ballard, Isaiah Marshall and transfer Chase Jenkins to replace six-year starter Jalon Daniels, with Ballard the presumptive frontrunner and Jenkins the wild card given his actual starting snaps at Rice. West Virginia is doing the same dance with Michael Hawkins Jr. and Scotty Fox Jr., and while Rich Rodriguez hasn't made it official, all signs point to Hawkins winning the job. Neither program enters this one with a settled answer at the most important position on the field.
West Virginia's counting on a roster overhaul to change its fortunes. Rodriguez leaned hard on the transfer portal after a 4-8 debut season and brought in the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history, betting that more talent up front fixes what plagued the Mountaineers a year ago. Kansas, meanwhile, is trying to shake a different kind of rut — back-to-back 5-7 finishes have Lance Leipold facing real scrutiny in Lawrence, even with more transfer help on the roster than in years past.
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KU Kansas
WVU West Virginia
The last meeting wasn't close. Kansas throttled West Virginia 41-10 in Lawrence to open Big 12 play last September, the largest margin of victory in a conference opener in program history. That version of the Jayhawks had Daniels slinging it and a defense that turned the game into a rout by halftime. Neither Daniels nor that specific supporting cast is walking through the door in Morgantown, but the lopsided history is exactly the kind of thing a home crowd remembers.
Kansas Jayhawks
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—
West Virginia Mountaineers
Nov 6?@ Texas Tech—
Oct 16?vs Cincinnati—
Oct 9?vs Arizona—
Oct 2?@ Iowa State—
Sep 25?vs Oklahoma State—
Sep 19?@ Virginia—
Sep 12?vs UT Martin—
Sep 5?vs Coastal Carolina—
Recent form.
Where this one gets decided is in the trenches and on the sideline. West Virginia's banking on Year 2 continuity in Rodriguez's system and a stronger offensive line to close the talent gap that got exposed last fall. Kansas is leaning on a deeper cast of transfer skill players to mask the fact its quarterback room still doesn't have a clear No. 1 with the season already underway.
Kansas Jayhawks
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
West Virginia Mountaineers
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Friday, November 13 in Morgantown is a night both fan bases will treat as a measuring stick — for Kansas, whether last year's blowout was a real signal or a one-off; for West Virginia, whether the offseason investment in the portal and recruiting actually shows up on the scoreboard.
