KU Jayhawks football vs. South Dakota Coyotes: Prediction, betting line, TV, stream
The details
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Booth Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, Kansas
TV: ESPN+
Radio: WHB (810 AM) in Kansas City, KFH (1240 AM) in Wichita
The line: Kansas by 14.
Prediction
I’m pretty convinced there won’t be a tougher game to predict for Kansas football all season.
New coach Lance Leipold and his staff were put in an unenviable position this summer because of circumstances outside their control. Leipold joined KU in late April, which made him the latest outside coaching hire that a Power Five college football program has made in recent history.
That led to some forced cramming in August practices. Not only were coaches implementing new schemes, but they also were evaluating talent, with the hopes of giving each player a clean slate under a fresh regime.
The timing here, then, is tricky. KU plays easily its most winnable game of the season Friday against FCS opponent South Dakota ... while also being the least prepared for a contest it will be all season.
KU has unknowns almost everywhere. That includes quarterback, where Leipold did not name a starter leading up to game day.
Here’s the best news for KU: It appears to have a manageable opponent. South Dakota went 1-3 in an abbreviated spring season, and it was not among 44 teams that were either ranked or that received votes in the FCS preseason poll.
This one’s still not a gimme. KU has lost three times to FCS opponents at home since 2010, which included the coaching debuts for Turner Gill and David Beaty.
I think this will be close, but in the end, KU should be the more talented team. A win without a Vegas cover seems about right for this unique opener.
Kansas 27, South Dakota 21
