If you look at the raw data, the kansas university football record looks like a bit of a mountain to climb. Honestly, it’s one of those things that Jayhawk fans have had to defend at Thanksgiving dinners for decades. We’re talking about a program that has been around since 1890, through the leather helmet days and the era of the "Border War" with Missouri, and yeah, the all-time winning percentage isn't exactly a brag-worthy stat at first glance.
But things are weird right now. In a good way.
As we move through 2026, the vibe in Lawrence has shifted from "I hope we don't get blown out" to "When is the parade?" That might be a slight exaggeration, but considering where this team was ten years ago, it feels like a different universe. To understand the record, you’ve gotta look past the 670-something losses and see the specific eras where Kansas actually dominated. It’s not just a basketball school, even if the trophies in Allen Fieldhouse say otherwise.
The Cold Hard Numbers: All-Time Stats
Let's get the math out of the way. Entering the 2026 calendar year, the kansas university football record stands at approximately 557 wins, 670 losses, and 54 ties.
That's over 1,200 games of history.
It's a lot. Most of those losses happened during a particularly brutal stretch between 2010 and 2020, where wins were as rare as a quiet day on Jayhawk Boulevard. But if you're a real fan, you know the record is lopsided because of the "Dark Ages." Before that, KU had some legit firepower. They’ve won five conference championships. They’ve been to the Orange Bowl three times.
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Actually, the bowl record is surprisingly solid. They sit at a .500 winning percentage in postseason play (8-8 or 7-7 depending on how you count some of the early-century exhibition stuff). Most recently, the victory in the 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl against UNLV—a 49-36 shootout—proved that the Jayhawks could finally score points in bunches again.
The Lance Leipold Effect
You can't talk about the record without mentioning Lance Leipold.
Since he showed up in 2021, the trajectory has been basically vertical. Before Leipold, the team was lucky to win two games a year. He brought them to back-to-back bowl games in 2022 and 2023, which is something this program hadn't seen in ages.
In 2024 and 2025, the team hovered around the 5-7 or 6-6 mark, which sounds mediocre until you realize they were playing half their "home" games in soccer stadiums or professional NFL fields while their own stadium was being ripped apart.
Rivalries and the "Sunflower Showdown"
The record against Kansas State is where the heart stays sore. For a long time, KU owned that series. Then Bill Snyder happened.
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Right now, the Jayhawks trail in the all-time series against K-State, with the Wildcats holding a significant lead since the 90s. The "Sunflower Showdown" has been one-sided for a while, but the gap is closing. In the 2024 and 2025 seasons, those games were decided by mere points, a far cry from the 64-0 blowouts of the early 2000s.
Then there's Missouri. The "Border War."
Kansas actually leads that series in several record books, though Missouri fans will argue about a forfeited game from 1960 until the end of time. Regardless of who you ask, the record is incredibly tight—somewhere in the neighborhood of 54-53-9. It’s one of the oldest and most bitter rivalries in college football, and even though they don't play every year anymore, that record defines the program's identity.
The Stadium Factor in 2026
If you visit Lawrence right now, David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium looks like a massive Lego set halfway through being built.
The kansas university football record in 2026 is going to be heavily influenced by the "Gateway District" project. They spent nearly $450 million to gut the old stadium. For the 2024 and 2025 seasons, KU was essentially a nomadic team, playing home games at Children's Mercy Park (where Sporting KC plays) and GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
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Living out of a suitcase is hard on a team's record.
For the 2026 season, the university has confirmed that the lower bowl of the east side will be open. For the first time in years, the Jayhawks will actually have a true home-field advantage again. Expect the 2026 win-loss column to look a lot healthier now that they aren't commuting to Kansas City for every "home" game.
Why the Record Matters Now
People love an underdog.
Kansas is the ultimate "phoenix" story in college football. They went from being the laughingstock of the Big 12 to a team that top-tier programs like Oklahoma and Texas actually feared before they left for the SEC.
- Recruiting is up: Top-tier talent is actually looking at Lawrence as a destination, not a backup plan.
- Facility parity: With the new stadium, the "recruiting record" is finally matching the on-field effort.
- Consistent Coaching: Keeping Leipold has been the biggest "win" for the record in decades.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you're betting on or analyzing the kansas university football record moving forward, stop looking at the 1970s and 80s. They don't matter. Look at the "post-nomadic" era starting this year.
- Watch the Home/Away splits: Now that they are back in Lawrence, the home record should stabilize.
- Monitor Injuries: Depth has always been the Jayhawks' Achilles heel. If the starters stay healthy, they are a 7-8 win team. If not, they slide back to 4 wins.
- Check the Big 12 Landscape: With the "Blue Bloods" gone to the SEC, the Big 12 is wide open. The record for the next five years is likely to be the best the program has seen since the Mark Mangino era in 2007.
To stay truly updated on the week-to-week changes, keep an eye on the official Big 12 standings and the updated injury reports coming out of the Anderson Family Football Complex. The numbers are finally starting to trend toward the blue and crimson.
Keep a close eye on the early 2026 schedule; those first three games at the renovated stadium will set the tone for whether the Jayhawks can finally push their all-time winning percentage back toward the .500 mark.