Kansas needs a bounce-back season and it starts with the easiest name on the schedule — Middle Tennessee comes to Lawrence off a 3-9 year looking to avoid a laugher.
Bush’s Picks
MTSUKU
MTSUKU
OverUnder
Best BetKansas
Kansas is the clear roster and talent advantage here regardless of who wins the quarterback job, hosting a Middle Tennessee team that won 3 games all of last season. This is the kind of spot Power 4 programs are supposed to win running away, and there's no signal in the matchup that points the other direction.
Middle Tennessee
+Roman Gagliano returns with real starting experience
+Earned preseason All-CUSA recognition
+New OC Anthony Scelfo could unlock more offense
−Finished 3-9 overall, 2-6 in CUSA in 2025
−Big talent and depth gap vs a Power 4 roster
−Firstconference win last year didn't come until midseason
Kansas
+Leipold regarded as a top Big 12 coach
+Home game against a clearly overmatched opponent
+Multiple viable options at quarterback to choose from
−Defense ranked 95th nationally in yards allowed last year
The whole story for Kansas right now is under center. With Jalon Daniels gone, Lance Leipold is sorting through Cole Ballard, Isaiah Marshall and Rice transfer Chase Jenkins with no clear answer yet, and this game arrives with fall camp barely a month old. Middle Tennessee, by contrast, knows exactly who's throwing the ball — Roman Gagliano is back and already picked up preseason all-conference recognition, giving the Blue Raiders a rare stability edge even as a heavy underdog.
That gap in continuity matters because Kansas has bigger problems to fix than just the quarterback spot. The Jayhawks ranked 95th nationally in total defense a year ago and have now missed bowl eligibility in back-to-back 5-7 seasons. Middle Tennessee, meanwhile, is rebuilding under Derek Mason after a rough 3-9, 2-6 finish in Conference USA, with new offensive coordinator Anthony Scelfo trying to get more out of Gagliano and a offense that struggled to find footing last fall.
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MTSU Middle Tennessee
KU Kansas
None of that changes the baseline reality of a Power 4 program hosting a Group of 5 team that lost 9 games last season — the market hasn't posted numbers yet, but expect Kansas to open as a sizable favorite once it does. The bigger question in Lawrence is whether this is the kind of get-right game that actually shows progress, or another sign the program has plateaued under Leipold.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
Sep 26?@ Jacksonville State—
Sep 19?vs Nevada—
Sep 12?@ Marshall—
Sep 5?vs Murray State—
Kansas Jayhawks
Sep 19?vs Arizona State—
Sep 11?vs Missouri—
Sep 4?vs Long Island University—
Recent form.
Kansas fans have heard the promising-roster talk before and watched it turn into another middling finish. This is precisely the type of game a program with something to prove needs to handle comfortably — clean up the mistakes that turned close losses into a 5-7 record, get whichever quarterback wins the job some game reps, and not let an overmatched CUSA team hang around into the fourth quarter.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Kansas Jayhawks
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
For Middle Tennessee, this is a measuring-stick trip more than a real chance to win — a shot to see if Gagliano and the new-look offense have taken a step before conference play in CUSA gets going. Don't expect fireworks or a shootout script; expect Kansas leaning on whoever's healthy and whoever's earned the start to just take care of business.
