Kansas Jayhawks football vs. TCU Horned Frogs: Prediction, TV, sports betting line
The details
Kickoff: 3 p.m. Saturday
Where: Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: WHB (810 AM) in Kansas City, KFH (1240 AM) in Wichita
The line: TCU by 21 1/2.
Prediction
I’ll just come out and say it: I don’t like the Jayhawks in this spot.
KU certainly earned its 57-56 overtime victory last week over Texas with huge plays and late heroics, but the fact is, the way the Jayhawks won will be a tough formula to recreate.
Start with the turnovers. Texas had four of them, and while KU forced each with a havoc play, it’s difficult to make teams throw or give you the ball on a weekly basis. The Longhorns also racked up penalty yardage, and quietly, KU’s defense still surrendered 56 points while moving this week to last in FBS in points allowed per game.
TCU has its own concerns with injuries at quarterback and running back, but KU coach Lance Leipold has admitted lately his team is limping to the finish line too when it comes to healthy bodies. A couple KU players also missed planned media sessions this week with a flu bug, and while that isn’t guaranteed to impact Saturday’s game, it’s not necessarily a good sign either.
One piece of good news for KU: TCU has struggled to stop the run. That was also a characteristic of Oklahoma and Texas’ defenses, who both let KU hang around when it played with physicality and was able to chew clock with the ground game.
No one would really blame KU for an emotional letdown after Texas, though, and given the Jayhawks’ roster limitations, there’s a chance that TCU simply out-talents them while remaining short-handed itself.
I’ll take TCU for the comfortable win and cover.
TCU 48, Kansas 14
Last game prediction: Texas 49, Kansas 7 (Actual: KU 57-56, OT)
2021 record vs. spread: 5-5
2021 record on picks: 9-1
