In a historic turnaround year for the KU football program, the Jayhawks will officially be going bowling. The team will head to Memphis, Tennessee to face the Arkansas Razorbacks of the SEC (For the right to include "Kansas" in their state name) Both teams are 6-6, the Razorbacks however are coming off a rather disappointing year after being ranked highly at the beginning of the season. Being ranked 19th and falling to 6-6 by the end of the season was rough, but the Razorbacks are still given the chance to somewhat salvage their season with a bowl win here. The same story cannot be said for Kansas. Kansas was projected for 4 wins at MOST this season. After a historic start that saw Jalon Daniels in the Heisman race for a time, the Jayhawks start 5-0 for the first time since 2008, and one of the most explosive offenses in college football, head coach Lance Leipold more than earned his top dollar extension from the university. After said 5-0 start and a Jalon Daniels injury, the Hawks cooled off and stalled to a 1-6 finish, but this season was still one to remember and could very well be even more memorable with a bowl win over an SEC program (Would have been better if it were Missouri but I digress, there's an entire article by me as to why that wasn't feasible go check it out.)
The Jayhawks absolutely could have soared higher this year, but for a program that has been in the dumpster for about a decade and a half 6-6 is a huge accomplishment. With 11 out of 11 starters returning on offense and 8 out of 11 starters returning on defense, a stellar transfer portal performance thus far, and solid recruiting, the Jayhawks look poised to stay on this high too. They are back to contending regularly, and the university, the students, the alumni, and the fans could not be happier, I'm sure. I know as an alumnus I certainly am. With newcomers coming to the Big 12 as well as the big bullies known as OU and Texas leaving for the SEC, the sky really is the limit for the Jayhawks. If the Hawks can get a bowl win here, compete and even beat powerhouses such as TCU and rival K-State next year, and continue having recruiting and transfer successes, we could very well be witnessing the birth of a new Jayhawk dynasty, only this time it's in football. As Patrick Henry once said "Give me liberty, or give me death." Now if the Hawks lose the Liberty Bowl I certainly will not wish death upon myself or others, but give the Hawks liberty and you could see further groundwork being laid for a potential Lance Leipold pioneered tradition of excellence and winning. Something the Jayhawk faithful have yearned for a long, LONG time.
Burn Notice: 9/10 4th of July with how much liberty is going on around here
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