The Kansas Jayhawks are well under a month away from opening Lance Leipold’s sixth season at the helm. While two bowl-less seasons in two years have slightly lessened the hype that was building around the program, if the Jayhawks can get themselves back to bowl eligibility, Leipold will be fully back in the good graces of KU.Â
However, heading into this season, there were some concerns over the outlook of a third bowl-qualifying season based on both the opposition and Kansas’ schedule itself.Â
Firstly, the schedule comes out as a bit of a pain as the Jayhawks will, for one, have to travel to Wembley Stadium to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils instead of facing them inside David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. And for two, since the Jayhawks have a bye week the following week, they are then forced to end the regular season playing nine straight games. The last thing any team wants, considering that a majority of those matchups will be against Big 12 competition.Â
However, if there is one thing that can lessen the pressure on the Jayhawks, it is that only three of their opponents were ranked in the AP’s initial poll. Those opponents include No. 25 Missouri, No. 21 Utah and No. 14 BYU.Â
The teams that could end up ranked by the time KU plays them
Of course, this is hypothetical, and time will only tell if these squads will actually be competing among the best, but here is our list.Â
Kansas State?: While the Wildcats didn’t receive any votes, Collin Klein’s team would have played five winnable games, only facing one ranked team in No. 23 Houston. If they jump out to a 5-0 start, they would be very close to that top-25 range by the time the Sunflower Showdown rolls around.Â
TCU: The Horned Frogs have been the epitome of consistency since Sonny Dykes took over prior to the 2022 season. There is a good chance they are a cool 6-1 by the time the two squads face off, a record that should be well beyond good enough for a top-25 spot.Â
Oklahoma State: While the Cowboys are last on Kansas’ schedule, there is a good chance that Eric Morris picks up where he left off at North Texas and that Drew Mestemaker and Caleb Hawkins are one of the nation’s most explosive QB/RB duos. If that is the case, then Oklahoma State could easily find itself in the race for a ranked spot.Â
Could any of Kansas’ ranked opponents drop by the time the two teams meet?
The Tigers are just in week two, meaning they likely won’t move up or down unless a disaster of a game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff occurs.Â
The toughest team the Utes face up until the Jayhawks is the Arkansas Razorbacks, probably indicating they should be able to remain undefeated until October 10, when they host Leipold and Co.Â
Lastly lies BYU, which will likely be attempting to cement itself in a spot for the College Football Playoff by the penultimate week of the regular season.
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