Kansas vs. West Virginia: Win would provide 'psychological lift' for Jayhawks

The Kansas Jayhawks don't really have much on the line Saturday when they close their football season against the West Virginia Mountaineers. But, as head coach Charlie Weis said Tuesday at his weekly press conference, a win would be a big boost psychologically for the players coming back next season.

"If you win the game, just the psychological lift would be, more than anything else, the benefit. Sometimes these guys play with that burden, the weight on your shoulders that would be lifted, and then okay, let's go, let's move on. There are still things that have been left unanswered that, until you answer them, they are going to be question marks psychologically. I think that the framework will already be different and will already be more positive, but still until they do it, they still have not done it."

The Jayhawks have been a huge disappointment in 2012, their first season under Weis. At 1-10, Kansas is the only team in the Big 12 that has failed to earn bowl eligibility. They've yet to win a game in conference, but the Jayhawks can salvage that dubious mark with a win over the likely-bowl-bound Mountaineers on Saturday.

Weis said getting another win, especially one to close the season, would be nice, but the difference between one win and two wins won't have much of an impact on recruiting:

"The best year I ever had recruiting in the past was after the worst season, because more guys see an opportunity to play earlier. They all want to play. Yeah, they all want to play."

The Kansas Jayhawks and West Virginia Mountaineers kick off at 1:30 p.m. CT on Saturday in Morgantown, W.V.