The Kansas Jayhawks are slowly gaining steam. After the 42-31 loss to Missouri in the Border Showdown in week two, there was a clear reset as a dominant 41-10 win against West Virginia to open up Big 12 play steadied the ship.
Now it goes without saying that the conference season has just begun; at any point, a team can start to soar or faceplant.
Since Lance Leipold has taken over the Kansas is 14-23 in conference play; however, those numbers feel a bit unfair, as that is no true mark of how Leipold has rebuilt Kansas.
CBS Sports’ writer Cody Nagel released his “College Football Playoff Traffic Report: Ohio State, Miami on cruise control; Clemson done ahead of Week 5” list, and Kansas is still kept alive.
Leipold’s squad was touted under the “Bumper-to-bumper” tier, which means “Alive, but their path is crowded, narrow or highly dependent on others.”
“Add the Jayhawks to the mix of Big 12 contenders that could rise as the season progresses. So long as Jalon Daniels stays healthy, Kansas has a path to compete for the conference title and a CFP spot.”
So far this season, Daniels has been able to impress. The Lawndale, California native has totaled 817 yards through the air with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions on an efficient 66.7% completion rate, with a further 159 yards on the ground, which averages out to an average of 6.1 yards per rush.
Ahead of Kansas lie Cincinnati, UCF, and Texas Tech, before the Sunflower Showdown against Kansas State. The Jayhawks then finish out the season with Oklahoma State, Arizona, Iowa State, and Utah.
Some daunting opponents are on the horizon as the Red Raiders are No.12, Iowa State is listed as No.14, and the Utes are on the fringe of the AP top 25