A couple of weeks ago we reported how the Jayhawks were dealt one of the weakest schedules out of any Big 12 team.
Shehan Jeyarajah of CBS Sports had reported, "the Jayhawks' schedule features battles against two of the top three teams in the conference and an emotional road trip to play Missouri for the first time since 2011. Outside of that, though, Kansas plays the bottom five projected teams in the Big 12 and gets four teams that finished with losing records at home. Even the hardest stretch of at Texas Tech and vs. Kansas State consecutively has a bye week in between."
Kansas was handed the 13th-easiest schedule in the conference.
Earlier today, the Associated Press compiled its preseason top-25, where four Big 12 teams were added, including Arizona State (11), Kansas State (17), Iowa State (22), and lastly Texas Tech (23).
When previewing the Jayhawks' upcoming opponents in 2025, just three AP top-25 opponents hit the list, with Texas Tech (Oct.11), Kansas State (Oct.25), and Iowa State (Nov.22) compiling that short list.
What does this mean for Kansas?
Expecting all three of the aforementioned opponents to be ranked come October is not a tough ask. Texas Tech is coming off an exceptional transfer portal, Iowa State is coming off its best season under Matt Campbell with an 11-3 record in 2024, and Kansas State is the ever-consistent squad under coach Chris Klieman, who has posted five winning seasons in his six years as a Wildcat.
Last season, when facing ranked matchups, the Jayhawks went on an end-of-season tear, finding a 3-1 record against top-25 teams, with the sole loss coming to Kansas State in the heartbreaking 29-27 loss. Over the last two seasons, Lance Leipold's team is a combined 4-3, which is impressive considering the talent that Kansas has come against on the other side of the ball.
It goes without saying that the Big 12 is an elite conference and one that is also unpredictable since the departure of Texas and Oklahoma, which means that this year, especially, things are up for grabs. If the Jayhawks are in a good place by the time the prickly end-of-season stretch occurs, then Kansas should be able to find itself towards the upper end of the conference, and near (if not in) the AP top-25.