I go back and forth on this one since Sunday. The toughest thing for me is trying to figure out what the Houston game really means.

It somewhat felt like the breakout game on Saturday and Sunday and the coming out for Daniels and the offense. But if you break things down and look back the offense has been showing signs of life the last four games. They are averaging 415 yards a game and 32 points. If you go back to 2023 in Big 12 games the offense averaged 32.2 points a game and 412 yards a game.

The question is, how good is Houston, how much did the poor offensive play from Houston contribute to more points for the offense. Let's face it Houston's offense was abysmal last week.

But take that out, and the fact is the KU offense is showing a lot more life than he we saw earlier in the season.

I have Stan Weber on the podcast this week and no matter what you think of him, he's really good at studying football and puts in the time. He went back and watched the Illinois game and said KU in his opinion is the better team. He and Bret Bielema are close so that was one of the games he watched. I thought that was interesting. I talked to someone this week who spoke privately with a coach on KSU's staff and they said KU's offense looks good on film.

I believe KU has KSU's attention. Remember KSU is coming off two road games to Boulder and Morgantown. Both were night games. Even Klieman said on Monday it is going to take some time to get adjusted to getting home late. But we all know a night game in Manhattan and the crowd and their team will be ready.

The thing I want to see is what KSU will do defensively. They play a 3-3-5 and change their looks up out of it. They can play 5-6 DBs and they can also go with a bigger lineup. One thing Weber said is they have about 20-24 players on defense they will play every game to keep players fresh. He said if a team goes on a long drive it isn't unusual to see line changes with 3-4 players at a time coming in. They will play a lot of guys on defense.

I think early on, KSU is going to do whatever they can to take away Devin Neal and the run game. They are going to make Daniels throw. And if he starts hitting on some passes they will adjust. KSU is the #1 team in Big 12 against the run. They are going to try and slow down what they couldn't last year when KU ran for 234 yards. But they did it creatively out of multiple sets. This is a game where they could really use Hishaw but his status is up in the air. The KU OL has been pretty good of late. I know KSU's defense is good, but I think KU presents some challenges for them.

Last week Garrett Greene had 90 yards rushing against KSU.

If Daniels is on throwing it, then get ready for a fun game. I watched every play of the KSU-CU game and Shedeur Sanders carved up the KSU secondary.

Defensively for KU I would have said you load up and stop the running game with Giddens, Edwards and Avery. But now that they are throwing the ball better you have to respect the passing game. Johnson didn't have a rushing attempt the second half of the CU game or the entire game against West Virginia.

I don't think KU's defense is good enough to play straight up and stop KSU's running game. But West Virginia did. They hit Giddens and hit him hard. He only had 57 yards on 19 carries, but WV gave up the passing yards.

I find it hard to believe we don't see Avery Johnson do some type of running. If he doesn't run it that is a bad sign because that means they are able to line up and run and pass it without needing his legs.

Damon Greaves just needs to direct kick or get it of bounds. No need to give Edwards good chances to return a punt.

How appropriate.

For several players this will be their last game against Kansas State. Jared Casey grew up around the rivalry and talks about the meaning of the game.

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This is either the first time I have noticed this or it's just the first time all year we have done this formation. The 1st drive of the game on 2nd and 9 on the pass to Skinner that went for a first down, Grimes lines up Baynes in Trips left and has Grimm drop back like we are running a screen to the left side of the field. It forces another defender to play that side of the field and Skinner just runs a soft crosser and sits behind the linebackers for an easy catch. Love to see some shades of looks that Andy was running mixed in.

It sounds like Hunter, Shakeel, and Rylan will miss the Arkansas game, according to Self. They could all be ready to practice on Sunday.

BILL SELF: Well, first of all, excited to be here and excited for the season. It's going to be another great year for our league, obviously, and the expectations are high. I think the expectations may be actually undersold a bit because I think there's actually more great teams in our league than maybe what people are talking about.

I'm excited about my group. I think we're better. I think we've got a better roster. I think we're deeper. How that translates into winning games when you play the schedule you're playing, I don't exactly know. But if things could fall right and have some good fortune, obviously, like everybody else from a health standpoint, if the pieces fit like I think they could, then I think potentially this could be one of our better teams.

Q. There's been a lot of talk about Big 12, SEC, what's the best conference in America. How difficult will it be to win in this league this year, especially with all the teams that have come in?

BILL SELF: Well, you know, you have five of the preseason top 10, which I was told earlier that that's never happened before in a league. Then you have -- you're going to have three or four other top-25 type teams, that whether or not they're in there now they'll be in there at some point in time during the course of the year.

I've said this a lot of times, and we've had some success in the league, that that particular year I feel like it would probably be the hardest year to win it of any of the years that we had. I can tell you hands down this is going to be the hardest year to win our league, in large part because of unbalanced scheduling, too, depending on who you play at home and who you play on the road and who you play twice and all those things.

But it's going to be a great league.

I don't think you look at it the way that maybe we used to, that it's a win-the-league-at-all-costs deal. I think you look at it more as if we can compete and be at the top of this league, we've got a chance.

Even though disappointment comes when you don't win, you'd better be equipped to be disappointed some because nobody is going to run the table.

Q. There have been some coaches, Tony Bennett just decided he didn't want to coach today's game anymore; we've seen some football coaches that have had enough of it. What's the state of college athletics right now for you, and is this something that you've been able to adapt and overcome with all the changes and work with it?

BILL SELF: Well, I don't disagree with what anybody has done and the reasons for doing it. I would say that I don't feel the exact same way they feel at this point in time.

I do think that it is a very uncertain world that we're living in right now from a college athletics standpoint, but I do think it will balance out. I do think -- I don't know exactly what the formula is, but I think we'll look at our sport and college athletics in a couple years from now, and it'll feel and look different than it does right now.

I don't know what business anybody has been in where there hasn't been significant changes over time if you've been in the business for three or four decades. We're going through one of those changes now, and people probably aren't as comfortable with the change, as I'm not, either, but I do think we'll get through it and it'll balance out and we'll be at a place that we're much more comfortable in a short amount of time.

Q. If someone were to tell you a couple of years ago that Texas and OU would be out of your conference and the conference would add eight new schools ranging from Phoenix to Orlando, what would you say to them? Would you have seen it coming a couple of years ago, or is this totally out of the blue?

BILL SELF: Well, I'll tell you, I'll say this: It's been 12 years ago when we were just worried if we were going to be in a league. So I actually feel better about where we're at now because I think the Big 12 is solid, more so than it has been in a long time.

So I feel great about that, and even though losing two brands like OU and Texas obviously on the surface is a hit, but what we've replaced with I think especially from a basketball standpoint, I don't think that we're going to take a step backwards in any way, shape or form.

Now, we may have taken a step sideways but not backwards at all. I feel really positive about where we're at.

Q. You bring in a very impressive transfer class this year with six players. Can you talk about what you've seen so far in early practices and what you expect this year from all six of them?

BILL SELF: Well, we've brought in five on scholarship. We've brought in a sixth that's a walk-on. I like them. I think they all have a chance to contribute, and you can make a case where they've all been one of our better players on any particular day thus far, whether it's David Coit or Zeke Mayo or A.J. or Rylan or Shakeel.

I think the question will be coming from a different place -- it's this way with all coaches and all programs. How do they fit in with your present players and how do they fit in playing differently than maybe the way they played at their different place.

I don't think we're quite comfortable yet. I think we have more talent. I think we're more athletic. I think we shoot it a little bit better. I think all those things. But do they fit exactly the way we've won over time? I think that still remains to be seen.

You're going to know a lot more when we get punched in the gut or hit in the face the first time and see how we react. But from 10,000 feet or whatever, I like them all, and I think it makes for a pretty deep roster.

Q. You mentioned five teams in the preseason top 10 of the AP poll, unprecedented. Other coaches have mentioned that that makes the league difficult, but similarly something that makes it difficult is there's no teams ranked outside of the top 90 --

BILL SELF: That's what makes the league hard. I don't mean to cut you off, but a lot of leagues are top heavy but they're also bottom heavy. This league has no bottom. No matter where you go, winning on the road or not winning on the road will not be considered an upset in coaches' minds.

Having a record -- what are we playing, 18 this year? We're playing 20 this year. So having a record 20 league games, man, somebody would go 15-5, I think, wow, they've had a heck of a year; whereas in the past you could have a team go 16-2, something like that. I don't see that happening.

I think there's going to be the appearance of off days far more often for teams in our league that aren't really off days; you just got beat.

Q. The thing I hear from other coaches is even when you go play the last place team in this conference, it's probably still a top-100 team and it's probably still a pretty close to capacity filled arena.

BILL SELF: That's true, and it's a great league around all sports. But basketball, we take a lot of pride in our league and the fan bases take a lot of pride.

All the road games are great wins.

There is maybe some scheduling favor to some teams just because it's an unbalanced schedule. It was that way in the Big Ten. It was that way in the Big 12 when we played 12 and you play the south once and you played the north twice. Just depending on what teams were good that year and that kind of stuff. But I don't think you think look at it that way in this league.

I had somebody ask me earlier what's the biggest league game on your schedule, and I actually thought about it, and I said, probably the next game. I know that's coach-speak, but that's true. If you're not ready, you're going to get beat.

People from the outside may look or our fan bases may look at those as upsets. Hey, any road win in our league will be considered, I would think, to be at worst a Quad 2 win. At worst. That's why you get so many opportunities to make the NCAA Tournament out of our league because you have an opportunity to play 15, 18 Quad 1 games and the rest of them are Quad 2 games, which is what makes the league hard.

It's not been a great time for Nike. Will they navigate the storm and come back stronger than ever, or will the long-term slide I predicted continue? It was never going to happen overnight, but I truly hope this shit company bites the dust and a replacement, whomever they may be, is a far better in every way. They have had a long run, but it really is time for this smarmy company to die.

Don't think I'll make it inside the game. Didn't know if there were any bars where we would have at least a few KU fans around. I'll hang up and listen.

I think we could run the ball on them all day. Not big on line or at linebacker.

Hanni said some people started getting there at 1:00 to get ready for Hawk Talk.

Leipold said it was a good win and the kids stuck together through some hard games.

Thought they played a clean football game and had minimal penalties. They've been looking for explosive plays and consistency and a balanced attack and they got that. They talked about defensively being more aggressive.

The long opening drive they made a statement.

He said the last two games he's played the best football he has played in a while. They have expected a lot from him over the last two years and they didn't understand how it was going to take off the rust and get in a rhythm.

Leipold said that Daniels is ready to play this weekend in Manhattan. Thought Lawrence Arnold had his best game.

They talked about the throw to Trevor Wilson and it looked like some of the plays he has made in the last few years and credited Wilson for getting his toe down and staying in bounds.

The end of the halfs haven't been what they wanted and for Cobee to come up with that interception before half was big.

Leipold said the one thing they've done well is owning their play. When they've come up short they've been able to look at it on film but they've come back to work and worked hard. He said they've always told the players 3-5 plays a game can be the difference.

He said going to Manhattan will be a challenge but the players know how close they were last year. They have to go in and play their best football.

Said rhythm and timing are so big with the quarterback and receiver and that is starting to come together.

Leipold said they will have to be consistent for four quarters and Kansas State has a lot of weapons on offense. They do a good job of mixing it up with the run and the pass and get the tight ends involved. It will be a big test and they have played well up to this point.

They had their most tackles for a loss last week and they need to continue that. They need to be balanced on offense and create some big plays. He felt they were better in special teams last week than they were the previous two and they have to be good in the special teams game.

Cornell Wheeler coming back was a big boost for the defense. They look for Wheeler to play more snaps this week.

On trying to contain and stop Avery Johnson he said he is turning into the quarterback that people knew through the recruiting process he would be. He has good vision and ability to create plays with his feet.

KSU is number 5 nationally against the run he said they are outstanding and coached well and rotate a lot of players. They are disciplined and play with a lot of effort. Leipold said they have to have gap responsibility and be good in the run game.

Are tickets not available for transfer except within 48 hours of game time? That is the message I am getting when I try to access my tickets.

Started going through some of the numbers last night from the numbers.

PASS BLOCKING

Bryce Cabeldue- 89.2
Logan Brown- 86.5
Michael Ford- 85.9
Kobe Baynes- 85.9
Bryce Foster- 83.1
Devin Neal- 76.2
Daniel Hishaw- 70.0
Jared Casey- 44.7

Jalon Daniels was only listed as being "under pressure" on two times. That's impressive and a great job by the offensive line. If Daniels gets that much time to throw that is a big key to the offense.


RUN BLOCKING

Lawrence Arnold- 63.2
Quentin Skinner- 61.3
Luke Grimm- 60.5
Kobe Baynes- 57.9
Logan Brown- 57.0
Devin Neal- 56.8
Bryce Cabeldue- 56.8
Michael Ford- 56.2
Bryce Foster- 54.8
Trevor Kardell- 53.8
Jared Casey- 52.7

I said on Sunday, Houston did a good job shutting down the KU run game. Neal was contained most of the day until he hit the long run. Until that time he was averaging less than four yards a carry. So, having lower grades than normal doesn't surprise me.


TACKLING GRADES

JB Brown- 83.4
Marvin Grant- 83.3
Cornell Wheeler- 83.1
Cobee Bryant- 78.8
Dean Miller- 78.3
Dylan Wudke- 76.2
Kaleb Purdy- 74.3
Jereme Robinson- 74.3
DJ Withers- 73.6
Mello Dotson- 73.1
Tommy Dunn- 70.2
Kenean Caldwell- 70.2
O.J. Burroughs- 66.0
Taylor Davis- 60.5
Taiwan Berryhill- 52.2
Blake Herold- 28.1
Jayson Gilliom- 24.8
Caleb Taylor- 16.5

The upper half of the list might be some of the best tackling grades for the season. When you have 10 players who play a lot of snaps score over 70.0 that's as good as I have seen this year.


COVERAGE GRADES (LB/secondary)

Cobee Bryant- 83.8
Mello Dotson- 68.6
Taiwan Berryhill- 66.0
Kaleb Purdy- 64.7
O.J. Burroughs- 64.1
Jayson Gilliom- 63.7
Jalen Todd- 63.4
Marvin Grant- 61.3
Taylor Davis- 55.4
JB Brown- 54.2

For me, these are hard to read into because Houston didn't throw the ball well and doesn't have a good passing game.


PASSING GRADES

Jalon Daniels

With a clean pocket: 15-of-19 218 yards, 3 TD
Under pressure: 1-of-2, 29 yards
Not blitzed: 11-of-13 198 yards, 2 TD
When blitzed: 5-of-8 49 yards, 1 TD


PASSING DIRECTION & GRADES

Below is a snapshot of his passing direction and yards and under that, is the grades for each direction.

Hey all,

I was able to spend a few minutes with Jalen Montonati, the 6-foot-7, 165-pound small forward from Owasso (OK) High School, following his visit to Kansas last Friday night for Late Night in the Phog. This was his second visit to Kansas, and he also told me that he'd been down once or twice as a little kid. I think Kansas is positioning itself quite well with one of the top players in the 2026 class. If you ask me, this is one to watch.

At any rate, here's what Montonati had to say following his visit.

"It was a good visit," he said. "I had a great time. I was down last year when they (Kansas) played TCU, and I've been down there when I was a kid, once or twice. I really wasn't surprised about anything. I have a good understanding of how important everyone treats basketball, but it's always fun to go down and see everything."

Brought more pressure and added some things. Said deciding what to with pressure changes week to week.

Cobee stepped up and made some good plays. When he's out there the defense is better.

JB Brown is physical and blitzes well. It fits his style of game. Said they realized a year ago when they were trying to find a LB who could line up on the edge.

Said KSU is effective at everything and impressed with Avery Johnson and the RB are really hard to tackle. Johnson is accurate and throws well on the run.

Johnson still moves well and scrambles although he hasn't run it much. Said they are preparing for the QB runs. They have to be ready for that.

Was good to get Cornell Wheeler back. Played well.

Wheeler has been good physically all week and they haven't limited him.

Davis and Purdy are competitive players and Davis is one of their better athletes. Purdy is one of their smartest players in the secondary.

KSU works well together on OL and are well coached. They just keep punching you up front.

Got in the stadium with no problem. Traffic is probably three times as light.

East Carolina and Southern Mississippi head coaches are out. Oklahoma offensive coordinator Seth Littrell is out.

Had explosive plays and didn't turn it over. Looking at advanced numbers they are tending up to a higher level.

Hit some big plays in the pass game. More explosive plays.

Has played KSU for several years. Plays as hard and with effort as anyone he's played against. They are doing more than they ever have done.

Few years ago KSU wasnt as aggressive.

He went back and looked at film from last year and saw what KU did offensively.

He said almost everyone you face is in a 3 or 3 man front.

They do a lot of changing out of scheme. Said what they is challenging for an OL to handle.

Grimes said Mott is a high motor guy and quick with an inside move. They try to prepare for it but you don't know how good he is until you get in the game.

He said the offense has been better and trending in the right direction. It builds momentum and confidence.

They've had to use four guys to make up for the loss of Fairchild.

Talked about losing Novitsky and Puni as leaders and players. Said each player has stepped in his own way.

Said Daniels and the WR have put in a lot of extra work. That means after practice each one has done extra work.

Hey all,

I was able to exchange some text messages with Sebastian Williams-Adams following his visit to Kansas. As of right now, the plan is to visit Purdue next week. I’m a little surprised, I think, but we’ll see how things play out. Here’s what he had to say.

“The visits went really well,” he said. “The fans, teammates and coaches were really nice and supportive. The environment of Lawerence for their players is amazing to see.

“Something I really liked was the competitiveness of the team but the friendship still between the players off the court when we hung out,” he added. “Also, how Self is very honest with his analysis of your game and how he sees you.

“Yessir, I’m still going to the rest of my top 8, which is Purdue, SMU, OK State, Vanderbilt and Baylor,” he continued. “Purdue is this upcoming weekend.”