With a nod to Pat Forde's annual March Madness dream and nightmare scenarios piece, we've come up with the dream and nightmare scenarios for every Big 12 team. Of course, reality will fall somewhere in the middle. But imagine a season in which every single possible domino fell into place. And likewise, if all that could go wrong, well, did.

We continue the series today with the Kansas Jayhawks:

Dream scenario

Everything comes together and Kansas goes back to the Orange Bowl.

Can the offense take off with Montell Cozart under center? Grant Halverson/Getty Images

That’s the long-term dream, at least. Probably a tad too optimistic for Year 1 under new head coach David Beaty. But we can draw up a beautiful blueprint for getting this program back on the right track right away.

Step one: A 2-1 start in nonconference play with an upset at Rutgers, a not-great Big Ten team that’s susceptible to such a stunner. The buy-in from players really takes off. So does running back Ke'aun Kinner, who’ll go on to surpass 1,000 rushing yards and win Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.

The key to this instant revival is Montell Cozart, who plays like a poor man’s Trevone Boykin in the Air Raid attack. All he needed was a new offense and a coach who figured out how to best tailor a scheme to his talents. Cozart doesn’t have stars at receiver, but he leans on the duo of Ben Johnson and Kent Taylor over the middle and they emerge as the conference’s two best tight ends.

That’s how they beat Iowa State and survive at home against Texas Tech to start 4-2. The team’s budding confidence is evident in competitive showings against Oklahoma State and Texas, but a work-in-progress defense can’t pull off the upsets.

Still, even at 4-7, this Kansas team is playing like it has nothing to lose. The blue-collar mentality Beaty instills in his team plus the exciting brand of offense brings fans back to Memorial Stadium. And their support gets richly rewarded on Nov. 28.

Kansas rallies in the second half to stun Kansas State for their first Governor’s Cup victory since 2008. The only thing more shocking than the comeback is the result: The Jayhawks finish with five wins and ride into the offseason with unstoppable momentum.

K-State, in a panic, replaces Bill Snyder with Detroit Lions tight ends coach Ron Prince, guaranteeing Beaty’s reign in the state for years to come. Beaty turns down an offer to coach the New England Patriots and inks a long-term extension at KU. Bill Self wins his 12th straight Big 12 basketball title. In Lawrence, everything is awesome.

Nightmare scenario

The knee injury for Michael Cummings, the dismissals of Corey Avery and Rodriguez Coleman and the retirement of Jake Love makes you wonder if we’re already on the path toward the darkest timeline. I’m slightly worried the fictional tale here ends up being too close to reality. But, alas, I must play along.

We’ll give Beaty a season-opening win against South Dakota State, a program that’s lost its last seven games against FBS competition. But it’s just a rough run from there.

The Jayhawks run out of gas against Memphis, then fall apart on the road at Rutgers. Close call, no dice against Iowa State. Then comes the rut of giving up 50-plus points against Baylor, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma to wrap up October. The rock-bottom moment: Samaje Perine rushing for 479 yards on 30 carries before mercifully sitting out the second half.

By then, Cozart’s confidence is shot and Kansas has to turn to T.J. Millweard to finish out the year. Kinner is exhausted and the defense is demoralized. They dig deep and give Texas a fight for three quarters, but still come up short late. Beaty tries to send a message to his team about effort by starting 22 walk-ons against TCU, which backfires when the Frogs score 82 points. Kansas State has the unfortunate duty of ending Kansas’ season with a decisive victory in front of a Memorial Stadium crowd that bails early.

So, yeah, that’s a 1-11 season that ends with a whimper. The roster, as feared, requires several years of rebuilding. On the bright side, at least this season buys Beaty the time and patience he deserves. Year 1 is rough, but there’s nowhere else to go but up.

Also, Bill Self bails to coach LeBron and the Cavs. Without him, KU misses the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1989. Bummer!