We’re talking about bowl eligibility and hoops in this week’s Kansas Jayhawks Q&A

Kansas football has one last opportunity to shock the world.

No, we’re not talking about the College Football Playoff anymore, or competing for a Big 12 championship.

Instead, the Jayhawks (2-6) have a chance to qualify for a bowl for a third straight season, a feat never before achieved by the KU football program.

The path won’t be easy by any means. The Jayhawks need to be perfect (4-0) the rest of the way.

Kansas plays top-15 opponents back-to-back: Iowa State and BYU. After that comes Colorado (6-2) before KU ends the season against Baylor in Waco. The Jayhawks are 0-10 all-time at Baylor.

KU wide receiver Luke Grimm believes the Jayhawks can do it.

“We are going to finish games. However we’ve got to do it, we are going to do it,” he said. “We’re going to scratch, claw, bite, chew — whatever it is. We are going to finish games.”

We will see if he’s right soon enough. For now, let’s get into another Kansas Jayhawks mailbag. Thanks, as always, for the questions.

Who do you think KU’s best 5 man lineup will be this season? Not who you think the starters will be, but the group of 5 you think will produce the best results. @JReber16

This is an excellent question. I think the best five-man group will be Zeke Mayo, Diggy Coit, Rylan Griffen, KJ Adams and Hunter Dickinson.

This quintet offers the perfect blend of shooting, highlighted by Adams and Dickinson. The spacing from this lineup would elite. The defense might not be as good as some other lineups, but Griffen, Adams, and Dickinson are all above-average defenders.

I have no idea how much Self will play this lineup, but I’d love to see it because it would enable KU to play with tempo. With the exception of Dickinson, each of the above-mentioned players is lethal on the fast break.

I removed Harris from the lineup because putting Mayo in his place best optimizes KU’s spacing. The only non-shooter, Adams, can focus on doing what he does best: bringing high energy, leading fast breaks and playing excellent defense.

Who is starting QB for KU football next year? @1912jayhawk

This is a tricky question. It depends, a lot, on how the season ends.

If the Jayhawks finish 3-1 or better in their remaining four games, there’s no way it’s anyone but Jalon Daniels. He’s looked much better lately, which in this scenario probably means he’s continued at this level of play.

If KU goes 2-2 or worse down the stretch, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a quarterback change. Daniels’ goal is to play in the NFL, so he could consider entering the transfer portal.

Another factor: Kansas will have a lot of new faces of offense next season. About 30 KU seniors (15 starters) will leave after this season, so many skill positions will be occupied by first-time starters in 2025.

If Daniels’ ultimate goal is to play in the NFL, and it is, I would not be surprised if he decides to try his luck at another school next year.

In that case, the competition for his job would be between Isaiah Marshall, Cole Ballard and any potential transfer quarterback the Jayhawks might bring in.

Ballard has a safer floor, Marshall a higher ceiling ... there’s just no clear-cut front-runner to be KU’s starting QB next fall.

Still, I lean toward Marshall being the starter if Daniels decides to transfer.

Is it right to think that there’s probably only room for one of Diggy Coit and Shak Moore in the rotation? If so, who’s in a better spot? @JonnyOrlansky

I don’t think so. Like Self said Monday, they are two different players.

Coit is a shooter who creates space any time he’s on the floor, not to mention a pesky defender. Moore excels at driving to the basket and initiating fast breaks with his steals. He averages 1.4 takeaways per game.

Depending on matchups, I think both will play. If it comes down to one spot, I’d lean Coit. Shooting is the most important skill in basketball, and for this Jayhawks squad, it’s essential.

Why is Kansas special teams so consistently bad? Is it not recruited well, coordinated bad, or something else? @ben_h_hooke

I think it’s a mix of a couple of things.

First, KU doesn’t have a dedicated special teams coach. Assistant coach Taiwo Onatolu currently coaches the defensive ends and special teams. The Jayhawks could benefit from having a dedicated special teams coordinator.

Also, KU under Leipold has yet to bring in a kicker right out of high school as part of its annual recruiting classes.