How do the Jayhawks stack up against the rest of the conference?
Members of the Big 12 media just released this year’s Big 12 Football Preseason poll, following the arrival of four newcomers formerly from the PAC-12. In a league that is likely to display significant parity in the 2024 season, five different schools received first place votes in the poll.
The following are the preseason Big 12 rankings according to the media.
- Utah (906) (20)
- Kansas State (889) (19)
- Oklahoma State (828) (14)
- Kansas (772) (5)
- Arizona (762) (3)
- Iowa State (661)
- West Virginia (581)
- UCF (551)
- Texas Tech (532)
- TCU
- Colorado (400)
- Baylor (268)
- BYU (215)
- Cinicinnati (196)
- Houston (157)
- Arizona State (141)
What jumps out the most, first, is Kansas sitting in the Top 4 with five first place votes to its name. In recent seasons the bulk of the narrative surrounding the Jayhawks involved the surprise that came with their sudden success. Appearing in the AP Poll and upsetting Oklahoma raised eyebrows and turned heads on a national scale. This season, it seems that those results will only be built upon in 2024.
Last year, Kansas was ranked 9th by the media in July, and finished the year 8th in the conference standings. That seemed to be one of the few preseason assessments that played out as anticipated, before a chaotic period of Big 12 football.
Last season’s projected Top 5 was composed of Texas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and TCU. Only Texas and Oklahoma, in their final year in the conference, actually finished the season in the Top 5.
The upper deck of this version of the Big 12 looks quite different. Utah and Arizona cross over from the PAC-12 and receive instant national attention as contenders for both the conference and a playoff spot. Kansas State, Kansas, and Oklahoma State hold the fort down as true longtime Big 12 membership programs. With Texas and OU out of the picture, it’s a scramble to see which programs will assume the throne as the faces of the league in 2024 and beyond. It seems that, in the short term, the two Kansas schools and the only remaining program that hails from the Sooner State have the strongest chance among original members of the conference.
Despite the expansion of the conference and influx of contending programs, Kansas avoids nearly all of the Top 5 preseason ranked teams. Kansas State, considered #2 by the media, is the only one that does appear on the schedule. In fact, Kansas avoids over half the Top 10, creating a comparatively simple path to the title game.
If chalk holds, Utah and Kansas State could easily both go undefeated and meet for the first time in the conference championship game. However, knowing the nature of the Big 12, at least one upset a week is bound to be the expectation. If the gap between win totals tightens, and the complexity at the top of the table heightens… Kansas only battling one other Top 5 team is going to be a glaringly obvious blessing.
Nonetheless, owning the #4 mark is an honorable recognition for the Jayhawks, but it is not an achievement. No games have been played, no wins stacked up, and no conference title or playoff conversations have had evidence inserted into them. While this does not provide tangible reason for celebration, it does provide reason for hope. Hope that Kansas will build upon its success from 2023 and pull conference championships and playoff berths closer to its reach. The Kansas Jayhawks seem to be fully capable of doing that, and us fans couldn’t be more ready to watch it play out.