Kansas is altering the Big 12's playoff status while finally impacting the top of the standings
Kansas head coach Lance Leipold talks to his players during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa State Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. Credit: AP/Charlie Riedel
Kansas is certainly having an impact on the top of the Big 12 standings, just not as expected after being one of the preseason favorites in the expanded 16-team conference.
The Jayhawks may be to blame if the Big 12 ends up getting only one team in the new 12-team College Football Playoff, or potentially none in a worst-case scenario.
Instead of competing for a spot in the conference championship game, Kansas (4-6, 3-4 Big 12) is just trying to become bowl eligible, focusing on beating ranked contenders in November. After consecutive wins over Top 25 teams for first time in school history — Iowa State and then BYU, which was undefeated before last Saturday — the Jayhawks now host league co-leader No. 16 Colorado.
“We know the kind of team we are, we know how good we can be, and coming into (BYU), people might label it an upset,” Kansas receiver Luke Grimm said. “But I don’t think anybody on the team labels it an upset based on how we know our team can play.”
BYU's home loss to the Jayhawks dropped the Big 12's highest-ranked team seven spots to No. 14 in the latest AP Top 25 poll. That put the Cougars (9-1, 6-1) below teams from the Big Ten, SEC, ACC and even the Mountain West. Colorado and BYU are both still above undefeated Army from the American Athletic Conference.
The five highest-ranked conference champions in the final CFP rankings on Dec. 1 get automatic berths into the 12-team playoff field, with the top four getting first-round byes. The remaining seven teams are at-large selections determined by those rankings.
Still in the race
League newcomer Arizona State and Iowa State, both 8-2 overall, are tied for third place in the Big 12 with two league losses. The Cyclones made it to November undefeated for the first time since 1938 before dropping back-to-back games to Texas Tech and then the Jayhawks.
Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels (6) runs for a first down during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa State Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. Credit: AP/Charlie Riedel
Arizona State is home Saturday against BYU. That is the only head-to-head game all season between the league’s current top four teams.
“Somebody was telling me if we win and somebody else loses and then like ranch dressing falls on a wing … I don’t really know,” Sun Devils coach Kenny Dillingham said. “I have no idea about the tiebreakers.”
Five other teams below them all have 4-3 records to remain mathematically eligible: Baylor, Kansas State, TCU, Texas Tech and West Virginia.
Clinch scenarios
BYU and Colorado, which play at the same time Saturday, could claim both spots for the Dec. 7 championship game with wins and some help. But neither can clinch if the Cougars lose at Arizona State.
Arizona State head coach Kenny DIllingham, front, celebrates after wide receiver Jordyn Tyson scored a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Kansas State Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Manhattan, Kan. Credit: AP/Charlie Riedel
After the past 12 seasons playing as an independent before joining the Big 12 last year, BYU gets in the title game if it wins and Utah beats Iowa State. If that happens, Colorado is set to also clinch with a victory over the Jayhawks.
Colorado's climb back
The Buffaloes appeared in four Big 12 championship games from 2001-05 while part of the league's original 12-team lineup. Now back after the past 13 seasons in the Pac-12, Colorado is in prime position to play in another one.
“Look at me, man — do I look like I subscribe to pressure or do I look like I apply it?” second-year Colorado coach Deion Sanders said Tuesday. “We apply pressure. We don’t subscribe to it.”
Colorado won its Big 12 opener in overtime against Baylor two months ago after Shedeur Sanders completed a Hail Mary pass for a tying touchdown on the final play of regulation. The Buffs have a four-game winning streak since Kansas State scored with 2:14 left to win 31-28 in Boulder.
What happened to the Jayhawks?
Kansas opened the season with a win over FCS team Lindenwood, then had a five-game losing streak. Four of the losses were by six points or fewer, all games they led in the fourth quarter. The most-lopsided loss in that span was 38-27 after TCU scored the game's final 10 points.
“Our team has always done a great job of being able to stay the course,” quarterback Jalon Daniels said. “The fact that we never wavered allowed us to keep going every week, keep going every day — that gave us the strength to keep going, especially when things weren’t going our way.”
Now the Jayhawks are making a late push to reach a bowl for the third consecutive season, which would be another program first.
And they're shaking up the top of the Big 12 in the process.
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AP Sports Writers Pat Graham, John Marshall and Dave Skretta contributed to this report.
