College football betting: Jayhawks' offense will be a big test for Texas

Texas is ranked No. 3 in the AP Top 25 entering Week 5, bolstered by its win over Alabama in Week 2. Yes, snagging a win in Tuscaloosa is a definite boost to the résumé. However, I want to push back by stating that the Kansas Jayhawks' offense will be the biggest test to Texas' defense up to now.

Kansas' rushing offense

The Jayhawks have the fifth-best run-blocking grade in the country, according to Pro Football Focus. That has contributed to RB Devin Neal having 12 runs of more than 10 yards, tied for 16th in the country. Seven of those went for more than 15 yards. His burst and speed will challenge Texas' defense. An efficient runner, Neal is also a smooth pass-catcher out of the backfield, ranking fourth on the team in receptions. He will be a challenge to defend.

Aside from the running back unit, Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels is a playmaker all his own. Entering the BYU game last week, Daniels had only 20 total rushing yards on the season, but that was by design. Head coach Lance Leipold explained to the media that he wanted to keep his quarterback healthy heading into conference play. Kansas’ offensive ceiling is reliant on a healthy Daniels, who finished with 419 rushing yards last year, despite injury.

This matchup is pretty similar to what Texas faced against Alabama. The Longhorns will once again have to contain a dual-threat quarterback, just as they tried to do against Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe. The Alabama quarterback still managed 44 rushing yards and two passing touchdowns. It was Milroe's two interceptions that led to 10 points for Texas and hurt Alabama.

Kansas' passing offense

The Jayhawks have the sixth-best pass-blocking offense in the nation. They dink and dunk downfield, utilizing the run game to wear out defenses. That should be the game plan against Texas. Daniels is 25-of-28 on short, underneath passes. Having success with a shortened target depth, Daniels ranks 12th in expected points added when passing and fourth in success rate. This will be the most efficient offense Texas has faced yet.

This will also be Daniels’ third career game against Texas and second at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. It feels like yesterday, but don't forget when a healthy Daniels went into Austin in 2021 and helped defeat the Longhorns 57-56 in overtime. Daniels had 45 rushing yards and threw three touchdown passes that day.

Casey Thompson was the Texas quarterback at the time, and now the Longhorns have Quinn Ewers. As a Longhorn, I’m not convinced Ewers is an ultimate upgrade. Eliminate passes from behind the line of scrimmage, and Ewers has completed only 54% of his passes. Facing an improved Jayhawks defense, we could see an ugly version of Ewers, which we saw during the Oklahoma State game last year, when he completed 39% of his passes. This is the best version of Kansas football yet. With Texas looking ahead to Oklahoma next week, Kansas +17 could be the right look.