Why Kansas and K-State are both expecting the unexpected in Sunflower Showdown
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Both teams used bye weeks, increasing unpredictability in game planning.
- Kansas’s Lance Leipold posts stronger post-bye records than K-State’s Chris Klieman.
- Coaches expect diverse formations, shifts and motions to alter usual tendencies.
Kansas State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman likes to say that the Sunflower Showdown “is a blast” on game day.
But the days (and in this case, the weeks) leading up to kickoff, not so much.
“It’s miserable leading up to it,” Klanderman said, “because they (Kansas) have such diversity in their offense. The days when you could look at a hit chart and say, ‘This is who this team is.’ That doesn’t exist very much in college football anymore. Maybe it does with a few teams. But what Kansas has done formationally, last week does not apply to what they’re going to do this week.
“It’s hard for us ... That makes the prep more difficult for teams like this, because they’re going to present what they do in a million different ways. That’s what makes them good, effective and hard to stop.”
Getting ready for the Jayhawks became even more difficult this season when both KU and K-State were given bye weeks heading into their annual rivalry game, which will kick off at 11 a.m. Saturday in Lawrence.
Kansas hasn’t played since it lost at Texas Tech two weeks ago. K-State has been off since beating TCU two weeks ago.
On paper, neither team should have an advantage, as they both benefit from the same amount of rest. But both sides have more to prepare for now.
The element of surprise is always greater after an off-week. It can feel like a game of chess between coaching staffs.
“You can take everything and throw it out when it comes to this game,” K-State head coach Chris Klieman said, “especially when both teams have bye weeks. You’re going to see some different looks, I’m sure.”
Could a bye week favor either side?
Recent history suggests that KU coach Lance Leipold wins at a much higher rate than Klieman when he has two weeks to prepare for a game. Leipold has gone 5-1 after bye weeks at Kansas, including a 41-10 victory over West Virginia earlier this season.
Klieman has gone 3-5 in the same situations, excluding the COVID season of 2020. But K-State did throttle UCF 34-20 after its first bye week earlier this year.
Perhaps that is part of the reason why Kansas is the betting favorite against K-State for the first time in 16 years.
Or maybe the Wildcats have been holding back some secrets for this game and they will benefit from extra time to prepare.
Every option seems like it is on the table for this rivalry game. Both sides are expecting the unexpected.
“They’re going to have a lot of different formations, shifts and motions like they always do,” Klieman said. “But now you add to the fact that we also have the open week, and I would say the same thing with (offensive coordinator Matt) Wells. He is going to have a lot of different presentations, as well.
“It’s just what you do this time of year, especially when you’ve got seven games on each other.”
This story was originally published October 24, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Why Kansas and K-State are both expecting the unexpected in Sunflower Showdown."