The Kansas Jayhawks are the best story in college football this season

Each year, the college football season is full of unexpected twists and turns. From unknown players rising to stardom, to pulling off top-10 upsets, you never know what you’re going to get.

But of all the surprises so far this year, none have been bigger than the Kansas Jayhawks.

For the first time since 2009, the Kansas football team finds itself at 4-0 thanks to a season-opening thrashing over Tennessee Tech, back-to-back road upsets over West Virginia and Houston, and an impressive victory over previously undefeated Duke at home.

That victory against Duke came in front of a sellout crowd – just the second in nearly 13 years for the Kansas program.

During this time, three different Jayhawks have won Big 12 Player of the Week honors: Lonnie Phelps Jr. in week one, Cobee Bryant in week two, and Jalon Daniels in week three.

Daniels won a bevy of awards following the win against Houston, but after his career-high passing performance (19 of 23 for 324 yards and 4 touchdowns) against the Blue Devils this weekend, he is now being discussed as a dark-horse Heisman candidate.

From worst to first

To say the turnaround shown by this Kansas team has been impressive would be an understatement.

This program has been arguably the worst Power 5 program in college football for the past 12 years.

They’ve gotten head coaching hires wrong time after time, starting with Turner Gill and ending with a scandal-ridden Les Miles.

They suffered home losses to the likes of Nicholls State, South Dakota State, and Central Michigan.

They had two winless seasons and set a record for the longest conference road losing streak (56 games) in college football history.

They went nine years without any road victories, and prior to last season’s upset win over Texas, the Jayhawks had gone 13 years without a conference road win.

Now, the Jayhawks have won two road games, they have one of the most explosive offenses in the country, and they are currently sitting atop the Big 12 standings.

They also received the most votes (125) of any unranked team in this week’s AP Top 25 poll.

They have a head coach in Lance Leipold who has lived up to the hype and then some.

In the past, they couldn’t give tickets away to get fans in the seats, and now they are playing in front of sellout crowds.

This team has re-energized a fanbase and a community who has long hoped for a competitive football. But this KU team is more than competitive, they’re flat out good.

And they are without a doubt the best story in college football so far this season.