photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas fans bring down the south goal post following the Jayhawks' 31-19 win over West Virginia on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013 at Memorial Stadium.

Let me start by clarifying one thing: When you’ve covered Kansas football during the era that I have, you know full well not to take something as difficult as winning a college football game for granted.

The Jayhawks have won just 12 times in the past six years, including an 0-for effort in 2015, David Beaty’s first year as the leader of the struggling program.

Armed with all of that information and knowing more clearly than ever how risky assuming any KU football victory would be, I think it’s time to address something that has been floating around my brain for the better part of the summer.

What happens when Kansas beats Rhode Island on Saturday and improves to 1-0 while giving Beaty and his staff their first victory at Kansas?

The Jayhawks will win, by the way — 42-7. They’re much better than they were a year ago, have a ton to prove, will be running a new scheme designed to put an end to the offensive woes and have a defense that’s much better than anyone realizes.

With that in mind, let’s get back to the question at hand. I’m not talking about what happens to the vibe around campus or the bar scene on Mass Street after KU’s victory. I’m talking about what happens the very second the final horn sounds and the victory becomes official.

I’ll tell you what can’t happen. The goal posts at Memorial Stadium cannot come down. No matter what.

I don’t care if David Beaty, Bill Self, Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little, Todd Reesing, Mark Mangino or the Ghost of James Naismith have to stand up and demand that the students stay away from the goalposts. And I don’t care if the KU athletic department, which surely has some kind of fund ear-marked for emergency spending, has to hire armored gladiators and military tanks to protect the posts. All that matters is that the goalposts stay upright well into the night.

Such a scene would be a terrific indicator that things are changing for the better with the KU football program.

I understand the starvation and frustration of the fan base. And I realize it’s much more fun to unleash a wild celebration than it is to walk out of there like you expected what happened to take place.

So by all means, celebrate your faces off. Hug, high-five, smile, swoon, stick around for a little post-game tailgate. I’m even OK with Beaty getting the Gatorade bath. It will be his first win as a college coach, after all. But save the tired old goalpost tradition for a Big 12 upset.

Don’t embarrass yourselves by losing your minds after beating an overmatched football team that oddsmakers who pegged KU’s over/under win total at 1.5 games had you favored to beat by 29 points. Twenty-nine! That’s four touchdowns. That’s more points than Kansas has scored in all but 14 of the program’s past 72 games.

And that should be more than enough to keep things in perspective this weekend. Kansas should win. And the goalposts should stay untouched.