LAWRENCE — Kansas football is on a remarkable, upward trajectory in the early years of head coach Lance Leipold’s tenure leading the Big 12 Conference program.

After a 2-10 (1-8 in Big 12) record in year one, the next two years saw the Jayhawks improve to 6-7 (3-6 in Big 12) and then 9-4 (5-4 in Big 12). The 2022 and 2023 seasons included back-to-back bowl game appearances, which the program hadn’t done in more than a decade. The latter campaign’s bowl trip finished with KU’s first bowl victory in more than a decade, too.

But with the recent release of Kansas’ full 2024 schedule, comes another opportunity to look ahead to what year four could mean under Leipold. The Jayhawks return standouts on offense like quarterback Jalon Daniels and running back Devin Neal, and standouts on defense like the cornerback duo of Mello Dotson and Cobee Bryant. Here’s a look at what’s in front of them:

Another year without back-to-back road trips

This year it’s a little different, because Kansas is going to be playing its home games during the regular season at either Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, or Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The renovations to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium have led to the decision to play elsewhere locally. But those should still be home environments for the Jayhawks, and that means back-to-back years without back-to-back road trips.

Last season, Kansas finished 3-2 in road games. Each home game that came after a loss on the road resulted in a win for the Jayhawks. That meant Leipold and company defeating UCF after losing at Texas, and them defeating Oklahoma after losing at Oklahoma State.

The back half of the season appears far more intriguing

The opening half of the season, in September alone, will see Kansas go on the road for a rematch against Illinois, face UNLV at Children’s Mercy Park in a Guaranteed Rate Bowl rematch the next week and the week after go back on the road to play West Virginia — which finished the 2023 season ranked No. 25 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. In early October, Kansas will be on the road against new-Big 12 member Arizona State. But the second half of season seems like it could be far more intriguing.

There’s a rivalry game in the second half at Kansas State that both teams could be ranked for and the Jayhawks could be in prime position to win, more so than they have been in recent years. The slate of games at Arrowhead Stadium include matchups against Iowa State and Colorado. And considering Jeff Grimes’ hire as offensive coordinator and assistant head coach, the road games at BYU and Baylor in November have more intrigue than they would have had otherwise.

Kansas’ 2 open weeks are at opportune points in the schedule

Kansas has breaks in the schedule between its Oct. 5 (Arizona State, away) and Oct. 19 (Houston, home) games, and its Oct. 26 (Kansas State, away) and Nov. 9 (Iowa State, home) games. That means the Jayhawks will have six games and be able to take and advantage of an open week, before the back half of the season. That means they’ll be able to play another two games before the next open week, which they can use to position themselves well for the last four and whatever their part in postseason play looks like.

It’s not exactly breaking up the season into thirds, but it’s still an advantageous situation. Both open weeks also come after road games, one more of a trip than the other. Both open weeks lead into home games, which could each be much more difficult than they would have been a year ago.

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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: 3 thoughts following the release of Kansas football’s 2024 schedule