Kansas football: Big Ten reports swirling as realignment talks heat up

Kansas football may only have a couple of seasons left with the Big 12, as Oklahoma and Texas appear to have a lane towards the SEC beginning in 2022, despite coming at a $70+ million price tag.

Now, we’re seeing the remaining eight Big 12 members start gauging other conference’s interests about possible realignments. In Kansas’ case, the Big Ten negotiation reports have been pulling the most weight.

The major draw for a conference like the Big Ten will be members of the AAU, which Kansas is involved with. Another factor will be basketball, which again, Kansas hits the mark.

However, there’s a concerning portion to the discussion that needs to be addressed: the Jayhawks have held one of the worst Power Five football programs in the last decade. Moving such an unsuccessful history into the Big Ten would be a tough move, even with the recent hire of former Buffalo head coach Lance Leipold.

Jayhawk football in Big Ten country?

Throwing Kansas in the same conference as Ohio State and Wisconsin is scary, but when it comes to conference realignment, uncertainty is the name of the game.

While the Jayhawks have been struggling to rebuild their program for what seems like forever, recruitment has been making small strides and the addition of Leipold’s staff and faces like receivers coach Emmett Jones have been mitigating issues slowly.

Joining the Big Ten would give Kansas a larger map for recruitment, offering three-star and four-star athletes a chance to compete in the Big Ten. However, one could argue the Jayhawks would be a tough sell, considering how poorly they’ve done in the Big 12 since 2010.

What’s selling the Big Ten?

In all likelihood, Iowa State will join Kansas in the Big Ten if the Big 12 falls through. The Cyclones are coming off a tough basketball stretch since 2019, but their football program has been doing a remarkable job.

The Big Ten has 14 current members and rich basketball history, that’s kinda tough to pass up when your conference falls through the floor.

These two schools are the more probable additions for the conference, based on the urgency and the value they bring to the table. It does seem Kansas is engaging in meetings of some kind, as flights from Lawrence to Chicago have been spotted.

Will a couple of birds be flying out of Ames too? Who knows?

https://twitter.com/M_Vernon/status/1420394970217811974?s=20

Moving forward with realignment talks is a safe move right now, considering how fast we’ve seen things can change. In the event Kansas jumps away, moving the football program will be one of the tougher jobs, considering the Lance Leipold era hasn’t even begun yet.

Regardless, conversations with the Big Ten are inevitable and they’ll surely be more news to emerge from those talks in the coming days.

At this point, fans should assume Oklahoma and Texas will be gone within 2 years. There’s not much reason to hang around until 2025, especially if their departure spells almost certain doom for the conference.