Kansas football: Jayhawks catapult back into AP Top 25 after brief absence

Kansas football missed out on the AP Top 25 for just a week before vaulting right back into a spot yesterday.

The Kansas Jayhawks rebounded from a messy performance against Texas when they thrashed the UCF Knights 51-22 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. It was the fifth victory of the season for third-year head coach Lance Leipold and, by far, the best outing of the season.

Despite being ranked No. 24 in the country two weeks ago after their 4-0 start, Kansas football fell out of the AP Top 25 Poll following their loss to the Longhorns.

However, that absence was short-lived.

KU is right back into the mix of national rankings. In fact, they are listed higher than they were when they made their debut in the poll.

AP Top 25 ranks Kansas football No. 23 team in the country

The AP Top 25 ranked Kansas as the No. 23 team nationally. Kansas has not been ranked since Oct. 9 of last season. The Jayhawks sit ahead of Kentucky and Miami (FL), who are No. 24 and 25, respectively.

Kansas ran by a familiar face in the poll. Mizzou lost to LSU in Columbia 49-39, and the previously undefeated Tigers fell out of the rankings. They still received the most votes among all unranked teams, though. KU also surpassed Fresno State, who lost a crucial conference game to Wyoming.

The coaches poll put Kansas one spot lower than the AP Poll at No. 24.

Oklahoma State will host Kansas this upcoming Saturday before Kansas heads into their bye week. They are coming off a 29-21 victory versus Kansas State despite a disappointing start to the year. The Cowboys will look to build on their momentum against another Kansas-based university on their home turf. Following the off week, KU takes on Oklahoma, who recently took down Texas in the Red River Showdown.