Kansas Football: Les Miles era must begin with victory vs Indiana State
Kansas football starts a new era on Saturday and it’s the Les Miles era. The Jayhawks brought Miles in this offseason in hopes that he could turn the ship around and get KU back to relevance in college football.
As sad as it is to even discuss, there is a chance the Kansas Jayhawks could lose to the Indiana State Sycamores on Saturday. KU fell to Nicholls State in their season opener last year and South Dakota State in their 2015 opener, so they’re certainly not invincible to losing to a lesser, non-Power 5 team.
That being said, there’s hope for the Jayhawks this year.
Does that mean they’re going to make it to a bowl game?
No.
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What it does mean, however, is that Kansas should be able to improve from their 3-9 record they put up last year. That could mean they win four games in 2019, or if you’re optimistic like KC Kingdom’s own Cullen Jekel, perhaps they win five games and just miss out on going bowling later in the year.
Four wins seems like a pipe dream to some Kansas fans, but Les Miles provides hope. Here’s a guy who took LSU to multiple championship games and won it all once during his time in Baton Rouge. He might not get the Jayhawks to the College Football Playoff, but no one is clamoring for that. All Jayhawk fans want for the time being is to be competitive and not be the laughing stock of college football every year.
Losing to Indiana State would not be a good sign of what’s to come for Miles and the Jayhawks. This is a team that most Power-5 teams would beat with their backups playing for the duration of the game. I’m not trying to knock Indiana State here, that’s just the truth of what’s reality when playing against a stronger, faster, and all around better program.
The writing was on the wall for David Beaty last year and when the Jayhawks fell to Nicholls State in overtime IN LAWRENCE mind you, fans knew something had to be done.
Les Miles was brought in to change the culture of the Kansas football program. A complete beatdown of Indiana State might not be in the cards, but beating them soundly and moving on quietly to the next opponent (Coastal Carolina) would suffice for fans who just want their team to be competitive.
This game against Indiana State is one of the few the Jayhawks will be favored in this year. They must take advantage of playing against a weaker team and get this season, and this new era, off to the best possible start.
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In order for the fans to have complete faith in Les Miles moving forward, the Kansas Jayhawks have to come out victorious on Saturday or it could be another long year for the crimson and blue.