photo by: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Kansas head coach Lance Leipold stands with his players before running onto the field before an NCAA college football game against Houston, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo.

The second half of the 2025 Kansas football schedule will take the Jayhawks to some new and difficult places.

Just one week after a first-ever trip to UCF, they’ll head down to Lubbock, Texas, where Texas Tech has made a series of big swings in the transfer portal in an attempt to build a conference contender. They’ll welcome Kansas State to the revamped David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium looking to snap a losing streak now coming up on two decades, and later on they’ll face Arizona and Utah for the first time as Big 12 rivals.

The 2025 conference slate is a wide-ranging and challenging one that will test the integrity of a roster that KU largely had to rebuild from the ground up.

photo by: AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez (10) during an NCAA football game against Arizona on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Tucson, Ariz.

Texas Tech (Oct. 11, Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, Texas)

Last year’s record: 8-5 (6-3 Big 12)

Last meeting: As a true freshman and former walk-on, quarterback Cole Ballard had to come in for an injured Jason Bean and try to lead the KU offense back from an early double-digit deficit on Nov. 11, 2023. A 60-yard touchdown run by Devin Neal helped get the Jayhawks close, but they settled for two field goals in goal-to-go situations, then allowed Tech to drive for a game-winning kick of its own by Gino Garcia and lost 16-13.

One guy you should know: Jacob Rodriguez started his career as a quarterback at Virginia, but with the Red Raiders he’s become one of the Big 12’s top linebackers. He was a first-team all-conference selection in 2024 with a league-leading 127 tackles to go with five sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and an interception.

What’s new: Tech welcomes a star-studded transfer class that ESPN reported cost it upwards of $10 million, as the Red Raiders look to compete among the top teams in the Big 12. Any number of players in the class deserve a lengthy analysis — offensive tackle Howard Sampson from North Carolina, defensive tackle Lee Hunter from UCF, and so on — but edge rusher Romello Height, a transfer from Georgia Tech, is one of the top prizes. A former Auburn and USC player, Height graded out at 78.4 on Pro Football Focus in 2024 and had 34 tackles with 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

photo by: AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson looks to pass during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa State, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Ames, Iowa.

Kansas State (Oct. 25, David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, Lawrence)

Last year’s record: 9-4 (5-4 Big 12)

Last meeting: In the sort of heartbreak that has become routine for the Jayhawks in the Sunflower Showdown, KU took the Wildcats to the brink in Manhattan on Oct. 26 before going nowhere on two fourth-quarter drives, fumbling on another, allowing a go-ahead 51-yard field goal and then, with an opportunity for a two-minute drill, traveling just 20 yards in seven plays and losing 29-27.

One guy you should know: It has to be quarterback Avery Johnson, who had his ups and downs in his first full season as a starter but still finished the year with 2,712 yards passing, 605 rushing and 32 total touchdowns.

What’s new: Safety Gunner Maldonado moved from one group of Wildcats to another, making the switch from Arizona to join K-State after an injury-shortened 2024 season. The former captain has 31 career starts and tallied 81 tackles in 2023.

photo by: AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Oklahoma State safety Dylan Smith (11) in the second half of an NCAA college football game against Colorado Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Boulder, Colo.

Oklahoma State (Nov. 1, David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, Lawrence)

Last year’s record: 3-9 (0-9 Big 12)

Last meeting: OSU emerged from a battle at Boone Pickens Stadium ridden with poor defense, special-teams blunders and officiating controversy with a 39-32 victory on Oct. 14, 2023, after KU did not score for the final 26 minutes and 13 seconds of action.

One guy you should know: Safety Dylan Smith is the returning leader in snaps among all Cowboys after OSU lost a significant number of the starters that have defined its rosters in recent seasons, particularly on offense, following its rock-bottom season. As a sophomore, Smith posted 42 tackles in 11 games of action.

What’s new: Linebacker Bryan McCoy was a portal target of KU’s at one point who ultimately joined the Cowboys. At Akron in 2024, he tied for eighth in the country with 120 total tackles.

photo by: AP Photo/LM Otero

Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita (11) looks to pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game against TCU Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Arizona (Nov. 8, Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Arizona)

Last year’s record: 4-8 (2-7 Big 12)

Last meeting: A lackluster Kansas team that finished 2-7-1 in Jack Mitchell’s final season in charge still managed to cruise to a 35-13 victory over Arizona on Sept. 24, 1966. The Jayhawks scored 28 of their points in the second quarter. Donald Shanklin totaled three touchdowns on the day: a 30-yard pass to Sandy Buda, a 69-yard punt return and a 3-yard run.

One guy you should know: Quarterback Noah Fifita had been one of the breakout quarterbacks of the 2023 season and the Pac-12 offensive freshman of the year, but in his first year under new coach Brent Brennan he regressed statistically, throwing for 2,958 yards with 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He’ll be back with the Wildcats for his senior season and a variety of new weapons to throw to, even after the departure of upcoming first-round draft pick Tetairoa McMillan.

What’s new: Running back Ismail Mahdi didn’t quite match his eye-popping, All-American caliber numbers from his memorable sophomore season, when he rushed for 1,331 yards with 10 touchdowns for Texas State, but he still added 991 more yards in 2024 before transferring to Arizona.

photo by: AP Photo/Michael Wyke

Iowa State defensive back Jontez Williams, right, makes the end zone interception intended for Houston running back Stacy Sneed (21) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Houston.

Iowa State (Nov. 22, Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, Iowa)

Last year’s record: 11-3 (7-2 Big 12)

Last meeting: In a game perhaps most remembered for Devin Neal’s ascension as KU’s all-time leading rusher, Jalon Daniels also posted one of his best statistical showings of 2024, throwing for 295 yards and rushing for 68 more with three total touchdowns as the Jayhawks beat ISU 45-36 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. It was KU’s third straight victory over the Cyclones.

One guy you should know: One of PFF’s highest-graded players at his position with a score of 81.2, cornerback Jontez Williams was a second-team All-Big 12 selection in 2024 after he at one point intercepted a pass in four straight games.

What’s new: Joining Williams in the secondary is Tre Bell, who while at Lindenwood picked off Daniels in last season’s opener at Children’s Mercy Park. Bell, a 6-foot-3, 191-pound cornerback from Ballwin, Missouri, finished the Lions’ season with 24 tackles and six passes defensed.

photo by: AP Photo/Roberto E. Rosales

New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier, right, pitches the ball as Washington State’s Adrian Wilson (6) defends during an NCAA college football game Saturday Nov. 16, 2024, in Albuquerque, N.M. Dampier transferred to Utah during the offseason.

Utah (Nov. 28/29, David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, Lawrence)

Last year’s record: 5-7 (2-7)

Last meeting: Deseret News sports writer Mike Sorensen wrote of Utah’s 45-42 victory over KU in Salt Lake City on Sept. 28, 1996, “There may not be a better game in college football this year than the one 32,519 fans witnessed Saturday night at Rice Stadium.” Utes quarterback Mike Fouts threw for 476 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winning score to Rocky Henry. June Henley carried the ball 41 times for 220 yards and two touchdowns in the Jayhawks’ losing effort.

One guy you should know: Right tackle Spencer Fano started all 12 games of Utah’s 2024 campaign as a sophomore and ended up PFF’s highest-graded offensive tackle in the nation at 92.7. The 6-foot-6, 302-pound lineman was a popular All-American selection in an otherwise disappointing campaign for the Utes.

What’s new: Quarterback Cameron Rising could technically play an eighth year of college football after a series of long-term injuries, but he is no longer on Utah’s roster. The Utes’ new leader at the position appears to be Devon Dampier, who followed offensive coordinator Jason Beck from New Mexico during the offseason. Dampier had thrown for six touchdowns and no interceptions as a freshman in 2023; playing a full campaign in 2024, he ended up with 12 and 12 but also ran for 1,166 yards and 19 rushing touchdowns.