It may sound cliché to state that Kansas Jayhawks are heading into a re-building year in 2010, however it seems to describe reality in Lawrence, KS.  Ending 2009 with a seven game losing streak, going 1-7 in the Big XII, losing head coach Mark Mangino, dealing with a ticket scandal, facing early injuries, and losing most of their core players has produced a cloud of uncertainty around the KU football team.

New head coach Turner Gill was well suited for taking the KU job.  Gill propelled the University of Buffalo’s football program from one of the worst teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision to Mid-American Conference Champion in only three years.  Gill will be entering a much better situation at KU. Gill will not be rebuilding a program that had only moved to the FBS in 1999.

The key task at hand for Gill will be to establish a team identity and to get the team to buy into it.  Evaluating talent and getting it in the right place will continue beyond pre-season practice.  The quicker that Gill finds the best game plan and personnel to execute it, the sooner the Jayhawks can expect to be competitive in 2010.

The KU offensive schema is likely to be significantly different from last year.  A recently pass-heavy offense (ranked 13th nationally in passing last season) will feature a more balanced run/pass attack.  The “Wildcat” will probably become more a part of the Jayhawk offense with quarterback-turned wide receiver Christian Matthews.  The battle for the quarterback position has been won by Kale Pick.

With many new faces at the skill positions, the ability of this offense to put up points is unknown.  However, the offensive line, which represents the strongest unit of the team, returns several members from last year’s squad.  Defense was the main cause of KU’s decline in 2009 and will be the most critical area of focus for coach Gill.  They will be tasked with keeping the Jayhawks “in games” when points may be at a premium. Coach Gill will have a substantial job on his hands to get the program back to the level of prominence KU enjoyed during their Orange Bowl campaign in 2007.

While KU will once again (for the final time) enjoy being the sole Big 12 North team that does not have to play Texas or Oklahoma, their schedule will still provide tough games every week.  Georgia Tech (pre-season ranked #16 by the AP) comes to Lawrence. The Jayhawks must hit the road the following week to take on giant-killer Southern Mississippi.  Even the following home game with New Mexico State may prove to be a challenge if the team is still trying to establish an identity.

This year’s Sunflower Showdown against K-State will be a nationally televised Thursday night game.  The Jayhawks will finish the season against rival Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium in the Border War series.  There will be no easy games for the Jayhawks this year, with the exception of their season opener against North Dakota State.  Given the current situation in Lawrence, 6-6 would be an achievement and a great start for the new regime at KU.