Kansas football: Jayhawks make first-ever appearance in inaugural 2023 CFB Playoff rankings

Kansas football and its ascending program continue to rack up prestigious accolades, as they were recognized in the inaugural 2023 CFB Playoff rankings.

For the first time since the CFB Playoff was introduced in 2014, the Kansas Jayhawks have found their way onto its ranking system. Lance Leipold‘s group came in at No. 21 following a week in which they stunningly defeated No. 6 Oklahoma 38-33 thanks to a game-winning drive led by Jason Bean in the final two minutes.

These rankings typically overtake the AP Top 25 following the conclusion of Week 9. They were revealed live on ESPN yesterday.

KU defeating Oklahoma sent the college football world into a frenzy, and the squad even earned themselves National Team of the Week honors by the Football Writers Association of America. Now, they are being recognized as one of the 25 best teams in the country.

Kansas football had never been ranked on the CFB Playoff rankings, which comes as no surprise considering they failed to surpass three wins in the 2010s era and had a late-season collapse in 2022, despite landing at No. 19 in the AP Poll for two weeks.

The most recent AP Poll listed Kansas as the No. 22 team in the nation, so the CFP rankings put the Jayhawks one spot ahead. Below Kansas football is Oklahoma State (No. 22) and Kansas State (No. 23). Fellow Big 12 schools Texas (No. 7) and Oklahoma (No. 9) are also on the rankings, giving the conference two more nods than the Big Ten and ACC.

Kansas can solidify its spot on the hierarchy and potentially jump into the teens with a victory at Iowa State this weekend. The Cyclones have been playing very well as of late and will be searching to obtain bowl eligibility. It could be an even more challenging contest than last week’s meeting vs. Oklahoma, as the Jayhawks enter a hostile environment against a team with something to prove.