Kansas football declines bowl-game invite. Here’s who Jayhawks could’ve played
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas declined a Birmingham Bowl invitation after a 5-7 2025 season.
- Multiple 5-7 teams declined bowls; APR and ranking filled remaining slots.
- KU must replace 33 seniors including QB Jalon Daniels; offseason is now underway.
The Kansas football team has declined a bowl invitation, a KU Athletics spokesperson confirmed to The Star on Sunday night.
The Jayhawks did not win six games, and thus did not outright qualify for bowl eligibility. But Kansas (5-7, 3-6 Big 12) was given the chance after a number of teams around the country declined their invitations.
Most notably, Notre Dame declined a bowl bid after it didn’t make the College Football Playoff.
In the Big 12, K-State and Iowa State also declined bowl-game invitations due to recent coaching changes.
Brett McMurphy first reported that the Jayhawks were among seven teams to finish 5-7 who turned down the opportunity to play Georgia Southern in the Birmingham Bowl.
When there are vacancies, teams can become bowl eligible depending on their APR score.
McMurphy also reported that, eventually, Appalachian State (5-7) accepted the opportunity to play. He noted the six teams to decline a bowl invitation were Florida State, Auburn, UCF, Baylor, Rutgers and Temple.
Others will be happy to participate in the college football postseason.
Locally, Missouri State (7-5) earned a bowl invitation despite not initially being eligible while making the transition to FBS. The Bears will play Arkansas State in the Xbox Bowl.
If Kansas were to have accepted the invitation, it would have been the third bowl berth under coach Lance Leipold. It also would have marked the first bowl game for KU since the 2023 season, when KU beat UNLV in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
Now that KU has declined a bowl bid, the 2025 season is officially over. The Jayhawks turn to a busy offseason where they will have to replace 33 seniors, including longtime quarterback Jalon Daniels.
