The Kansas football team is trying to bounce back from a disappointing 2024 campaign. It is hard to believe that Kansas and its fans can see a 5-7 season as disappointing, but that is what happens when expectations rise.
The Jayhawks were the laughingstock of college football for more than a decade, but head coach Lance Leipold’s arrival on campus has changed all of that. After going 2-10 in his first season with the Jayhawks, Leipold’s efforts to turn the program around have mainly been successful.
KU is 20-18 under Leipold since his first season, including a 9-4 season in 2023, which included a bowl victory. Based on that record and the number of returning starters at key positions, expectations were sky high in 2024.
Unfortunately, an early-season five-game skid derailed the year. Though the Jayhaks bounced back and defeated three top-10 opponents in a row, the damage was done, and they missed the opportunity to play in their third straight bowl.
ESPN gives the Kansas football team a solid chance to win the Big 12
Several key veterans are no longer on the roster, but one key player is back for a sixth season. Jalon Daniels has had a string of disappointing seasons at Kansas, due in part to injuries and a poor 2024 season, but he remains one of the most talented and experienced quarterbacks in the country. Daniels could be a significant reason why Kansas is considered one of the top teams in the Big 12.
The ESPN College Football Power Index, a convoluted data-driven ranking, has the Jayhawks with the fourth-best chance to win the conference this season. Kansas State and Arizona State look to be the cream of the crop, but KU is nearly dead even with BYU, and in a pack that includes the Cougars, Jayhawks, TCU, and Baylor behind the top two.
While BYU is slightly ahead in the Power Index, Kansas is third behind K-State and ASU in the percentage of times winning the conference when simulations were run. These simulations had the Jayhawks winning the conference 11.3 percent of the time, slightly ahead of BYU (10.4) and Baylor (10.3).
Of course, these computer rankings can’t take into account things like injuries, untimely turnovers, penalties, and any number of unpredictable variables. If Daniels were to miss any significant time, the Jayhawks would be in trouble. There is almost no experience behind him. The wide receivers corps is completely revamped, and injuries to the offensive line would be crippling.
Enough of the negativity! If Daniels stays healthy and keeps his turnovers under control, the Jayhawks will be a force in the Big 12. The ESPN College Football Power Rankings agree.