Kansas Jayhawks football vs. Central Michigan Chippewas: Prediction, kickoff time, TV

The details

Kickoff: 2 p.m. Saturday

Where: Kelly/Shorts Stadium, Mount Pleasant, Mich.

TV: ESPN+ streaming

Radio: WHB (810 AM) in Kansas City, KFH (1240 AM) in Wichita

Line: Central Michigan by 5

Prediction

One of my five bold preseason predictions was that Kansas football would end its 46-game road losing streak against Central Michigan. And as crazy as it might sound to some KU fans ... I’m not backing off that pick. The Jayhawks, even after their miserable Week 1 performance, remain just a 3 1/2-point underdog in Vegas, making this statistically their best shot at a road win since 2013. Smart bettors also know that there’s money to be made at sports books by resisting the urge to overreact to first-week results. In other words, we should still trust more what we thought about KU before last week rather than assuming one 60-minute example will repeat itself exactly in future weeks.

Central Michigan lost its road opener to Kentucky, 35-20, but also benefited from a 4-0 turnover differential, meaning that easily could have been a four-touchdown game without some breaks falling the Chippewas’ way. KU and CMU seem to be similar teams on paper, and I think this is the game where KU breaks through to end its ugly road skid.

KU 31, Central Michigan 27

Jesse Newell

Jesse Newell covers University of Kansas athletics for The Star.

This story was originally published September 8, 2018 at 6:00 AM.