LAWRENCE — Kansas football’s 2023 season saw the Jayhawks compile what at the very least was the program’s best campaign in more than a decade.
In the third year of the coach Lance Leipold era, Kansas went 9-4 overall and 5-4 against the Big 12 Conference. That’s the most wins, overall and in conference play, for the team since the 2007 season. And after the Jayhawks captured a Guaranteed Rate Bowl victory against UNLV, they wound up finishing No. 23 in the top 25 of the US LBM Coaches Poll.
But while it’s still only January of 2024, with the status of rosters still very much in flux across the college landscape, that doesn’t mean it’s too early for some to start to project where teams will rank in the first top 25 of the 2024 season. It doesn’t mean it’s too early for Kansas fans to generate excitement for what their Jayhawks could accomplish in a new-look Big 12. And it appears there’s a lot of belief in what Kansas is capable of accomplishing in year four with Leipold.
Here’s a look at five way-too-early projections for next season’s top 25:
Kansas isn’t the top-ranked Big 12 team in this prediction. Kansas State (No. 21), Oklahoma State (No. 18), Utah (No. 13) and Arizona (No. 9) all come in ahead of the Jayhawks. But it’s an indication of how Leipold and company are being viewed nationally.
This prediction actually has Kansas ahead of a couple of Big 12 foes in Kansas State (No. 22) and Oklahoma State (No. 23). Utah (No. 12) and Arizona (No. 10) still come in ahead of the Jayhawks. Kansas’ schedule also looks pretty favorable, at least at this point, which should help the Jayhawks be in position to maintain a top 25 status.
Kansas is once again viewed as a top 25 program here, albeit still at the tail end of the ranking. However, considering the extent of the rebuild Leipold and his staff assumed back in 2021, it’s remarkable the Jayhawks are at this point. When it comes to the Big 12, Kansas is joined in this projection by Oklahoma State (No. 20), Utah (No. 16) and Arizona (No. 13).
Back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time in more than a decade, and stars like quarterback Jalon Daniels and running back Devin Neal returning, are going to put Kansas in a position like this to start the 2024 season. Continuity matters, and while there have been some departures from the roster and coaching staff the Jayhawks still feature a lot of it. The Big 12 programs joining Kansas in this projection are Oklahoma State (No. 23), Kansas State (No. 17), Utah (No. 13) and Arizona (No. 10).
This is the best projection among those included, with Kansas climbing into the top 20 of this way-too-early top 25. No, the Jayhawks still aren’t ahead of Utah (No. 13) or Arizona (No. 10), but they are ahead of Oklahoma State (No. 20) and Kansas State (No. 22). Taking advantage of their opportunity could see Kansas celebrating a Big 12 title later this year.
Kansas football coach Lance Leipold looks on during the first half of a Sept. 23, 2023 game in Lawrence against BYU.
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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Here’s where Kansas football is in way-too-early top 25 polls for 2024
