There is always something special about the first set of win totals released by the betting market. It gives fans an idea of what unbiased people think about their favorite team.
With the entire sports world on pause for the time being, the early win totals for the 2020 college football season are even more meaningful. It provides a sense of normalcy, and perhaps there is reason to believe there will be football this fall after all.
Caesars Entertainment released win totals for every FBS team for the 2020 season on Monday. The Kansas football program has an over/under of 3.5 wins, according to the information [relayed by Chris Fallica of ESPN][1] on his personal Twitter account.
A bettor would receive even odds by betting the over for 3.5 wins by KU, while the under comes with -120 odds. For comparison, the Jayhawks opened with an over/under [win total of 3.5 last year][2] on FanDuel’s Sportsbook before settling in at exactly three wins one day later.
Kansas went 3-9 last fall, which was Year 1 of the Les Miles era. The Jayhawks earned a 24-17 win over Indiana State in the season opener behind a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter. KU rolled to a 48-24 win over Boston College in Week 3, and secured a 37-34 victory over Texas Tech.
Following the win over Texas Tech, KU ended the year on a four-game skid and was outscored by a total of 111 points over the final month of the season.
While there was progress made last fall, the Jayhawks have plenty of questions entering the second year under Miles. Most notably, KU will have a new quarterback after Carter Stanley started every game under center in 2019.
Kansas is also [unable to practice this spring][3], which is especially difficult for a team dealing with so much roster turnover. When factoring in that KU hasn’t won more than three games in a year since 2009, it seems hard to bet the over on this early win total this far out from the season opener.
Like last season, KU has the lowest win total in the Big 12 Conference. West Virginia has the second-lowest line with an over/under of 5.5 wins for the 2020 season. Oklahoma, of course, is the early favorite to win the league with an over/under of 10 wins.
The Jayhawks will face a pair of FBS opponents with lower win totals during nonconference play.
Boston College, which will travel to Lawrence on Sept. 19, has an over/under of five wins for this upcoming season. Kansas will travel to Coastal Carolina a week later. The Chanticleers, who netted a 12-7 win over the Jayhawks in 2019, have an over/under win total of 4.5 wins for the 2020 campaign.
**Big 12 Conference win totals**
Oklahoma: 10 (Over +175, Under -200)
Texas: 9 (Over +130, Under -150)
Oklahoma State: 8.5 (Over +115, Under -135)
Baylor: 8 (Over Even, Under -120)
Iowa State: 8 (Over -125, Under +105)
TCU: 6.5 (Over +120, Under -140)
Kansas State: 6 (Over -140, Under +120)
Texas Tech: 6 (Over -110, Under -110)
West Virginia: 5.5 (Over +125, Under -145)
Kansas: 3.5 (Over Even, Under -120)
[1]: https://twitter.com/chrisfallica/status/1247196622859177984?s=20
[2]: http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/jacksons_journal/2019/jun/26/overunder-win-totals-released-ku-project/
[3]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2020/mar/24/its-really-tough-loss-spring-practices-could-hit-k/