Opinion: September will determine KU’s fate

Kansas fans have no reason to believe the 2014 season will be any different than the previous two seasons under Charlie Weis (or since the middle of the 2009 season).

That’s why September is so important for Weis. Fans need to know the program is improving.

“I’m only asking for September,” Weis said Friday night at KU’s annual kickoff event. “You give me September, and I’ll give you a reason to come in October and November.”

Weis has a point. A successful September means Kansas will be taking a step in the right direction.

The Jayhawks’ September slate includes the following matchups:

• Southwest Missouri State on September 6
• at Duke on September 13
• Central Michigan on September 20
• Texas on September 27

If Kansas can win three games in September, they’re guaranteed to at least match the most wins Kansas has had in the last four seasons.

Even grabbing two wins in September would show a sign of improvement.

To be honest, one win is going to surprise Kansas fans. Anything above that is going to give Jayhawk Nation a lot of hope and the fans will flock to The Hill on gamedays.

Everyone thinks Kansas has horrible football fans. That’s simply not true. They just want to support a winner. There’s not many fanbases in college that would sell out games for the same product Jayhawk fans have had to watch since Mangino left.

I think Charlie Weis understands that more than most people. He realizes that Kansas has a lot to prove to the fanbase. And he knows how crucial that September stretch is.

“I’m speaking on behalf of our team tonight that we’re sick and tired — sick and tired — of the national perspective of KU football being that we’re not worth a crap,” Weis said. “Until you do something about it, that’s what the perspective is going to be. You can’t get up here and tell everyone, ‘Hey, you should think higher of us’ until you actually go prove it on the field.”

On Friday night, Weis said he wouldn’t throw out a win total as a prediction. However, he said their goal is to make a bowl game, the first for Kansas since 2008.

“There is not one player in our locker room that doesn’t believe it, and there’s not one player in our locker room that will say it to you if you ask them,” Weis said. “Because I told them all to just shut the hell up.”

“Go to those three games at home, watch the one game on the road, and then you make the decision on where the direction of the football team is going. It’s as simple as that,” Weis said. “Because I think you’re going to be greatly surprised.”

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Quotes from KU’s kickoff event were taken from the Topeka Capital-Journal