Kansas vs. Fresno State Football: Why Jayhawks Will Cover the Spread

Momentum is firmly on Kansas’ side, as the Jayhawks play their first true home game in nearly two years with the newly renovated David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium officially reopening to fans in Lawrence.

The Bulldogs are looking to see what they have with their new head coach in Entz, who won two FCS national championships at North Dakota State and is expected to implement a creative offensive scheme.

KU does lose many of its skill position players from a year ago. But even with a new wide receiving corps and running back room, it returns sixth-year quarterback Jalon Daniels and All-Big 12 center Bryce Foster.

Entz recently acknowledged just how dynamic Daniels can be, as the quarterback is among the nation’s best when making the right decisions. 

MORE: Kansas Football 2025 Opponent Preview: Fresno State Bulldogs

On the other side, Fresno State’s new signal-caller E.J. Warner — the son of Hall of Famer Kurt Warner — is a polarizing player. 

After spending time at Temple and Rice, Warner now looks to lead Fresno’s offense after winning the job this month, but his history of turnovers is concerning. He led the AAC in interceptions in each of his three seasons as a starter. 

That could mean trouble against a revamped Jayhawk secondary featuring Utah State transfer DJ Graham II and Oklahoma State transfer Lyrik Rawls.

After Jeff Grimes’ lone and disastrous season as offensive coordinator in Lawrence, the Jayhawks turn to former quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski to take over the role. 

His scheme is expected to feature plenty of motion and pre-snap movement, resembling the style fans grew accustomed to under Andy Kotelnicki before his departure to Penn State.

With this in mind, players like Alabama transfer Emmanuel Henderson Jr. and returning tailback Daniel Hishaw Jr. should give Fresno’s defense problems.

Don’t get us wrong — this isn’t to diminish the Mountain West — but Fresno State simply doesn’t have the overall talent level of Kansas, nor the momentum heading into this matchup. The departures of Mac Dalena and All–Mountain West center Mose Vavao will prove costly for the Bulldogs’ offense.

And as Fresno continues to find its footing under a new head coach, it will likely take a few games for the Bulldogs to reach their full potential. If they make ill-timed mistakes, the Jayhawks have the firepower to pull away.

It’s not often that a school goes two years without a game in its home stadium. Expect The Booth to be rocking all night and a comfortable Kansas victory.