Kansas vs. West Virginia: Why This Big 12 Opener Could Launch the Jayhawks

The Kansas Jayhawks will open Big 12 Conference play hosting West Virginia on Saturday at 5:00 on FS1. The past couple of times these teams have met were also in September and early conference games. The previous two meetings, in 2022 and 2024, have all been in Morgantown, West Virginia. 

The Mountaineers got the best of the Jayhawks last year in what ended up being a late game meltdown by Kansas. The late game meltdowns happened far too often last year for the Jayhawks, and West Virginia scoring two touchdowns in the final four minutes of the game helped seal the Mountaineers 32-28 victory. 

The Past and Present

In 2022, the Jayhawks went into Morgantown and won a thrilling double overtime game in a rare double digit, double overtime win. Kansas scored a touchdown on their possession to start the second overtime and then former Jayhawk cornerback Cobee Bryant, known throughout Jayhawk Nation as the Hawk Mamba, delivered the final blow with a pick six to give Kansas a 55-42 win. 

This year, both teams are 2-1 heading into this matchup, but the Jayhawks are two touchdown favorites. West Virginia has some major momentum going into this game after a stunning come-from-behind 31-24 overtime win over their arch rival Pitt. Meanwhile, Kansas is coming off a 42-31 loss to their border rival, Missouri.

Kansas started out hot against Missouri, getting up 21-6 by the end of the first quarter before being tied at halftime and ultimately losing the second half. In fairness to Kansas, Missouri is a better football team than Pitt. That’s likely why Kansas is still such a big favorite at home over West Virginia. 

Match Ups

The Jayhawks have the offensive firepower to put up a ton of points against anyone. Missouri has a very respectable defense and they were able to put up 31 points on them. KU’s first opponent, Fresno State, doesn’t have the best defense in America, but they are off to a 3-1 start with their only loss coming at the hands of the Jayhawks. KU beat Fresno State 31-7 in a dominating performance. 

With a bye week last weekend, the Jayhawks had extra time to prepare for West Virginia while the Mountaineers will be coming off the high of beating their rival. Both teams could see an advantage here. West Virginia claiming they have momentum coming off a big win, Kansas claiming the extra time to prepare along with the home atmosphere gives them the edge. 

Kansas vs. West Virginia Prediction

So who comes out on top? This is a big game for both teams. Getting off to a 1-0 start in conference play would be huge. For two teams that, before the season, mostly had aspirations to try and reach bowl eligibility. A win this weekend would go a long way toward that. This game just feels like it will be a big win for Kansas. 

If Kansas wins, and can win convincingly, it will launch them into Big 12 play with the momentum they need to compete as tougher opponents come down the line. A home game against Cincinnati will follow and then a road test at UCF will be after that. Those are winnable games for Kansas. The Jayhawks first game against a ranked opponent won’t come until mid-October against Texas Tech. If KU can get out to a hot start in conference play, they’ll go from hoping to become a bowl eligible team again to hoping to be in the Big 12 race down the home stretch of the season.