ESPN ranks Kansas football as favorite for Big 12 title and CFP contender

There are now less than three months until the start of the 2024-25 Kansas football season, and expectations are rising for this year's generation of Jayhawks.

ESPN recently released its Football Power Index (FPI) ratings and predictions for 2024. This includes projections for each team's record, their chances of winning a conference title, their likelihood of making the College Football Playoff, and their chances of winning the national championship.

The ratings and predictions for this up-and-coming KU team were incredibly positive.

According to FPI analysis, Kansas has the best chance of winning the Big 12 Conference this season with a 17.4% chance. The Kansas State Wildcats come closest with a 16% chance.

The Jayhawks also have some of the best odds in college football to make the newly expanded College Football Playoffs and (believe it or not) win the national championship. The FPI gives KU the 15th-best odds in the country to make the playoffs (24%) and the 15th-best odds to win the national championship (0.9%).

That's right. ESPN's statistics give the Kansas Jayhawks a nearly 1 in 4 chance of making this year's College Football Playoffs.

While preseason predictions are never completely accurate and a lot can change over the course of a season, given this program's performance over the last 14 years, it's simply remarkable that KU is now mentioned in the same breath as college football's elite teams like Michigan, LSU, USC, Alabama and others.

It is a testament to the turnaround that head coach Lance Leipold has achieved.

His ability to attract, develop and retain the majority of talent in this era of transfer portals and name, image and likeness has breathed new life into Kansas football and created new expectations.

We will soon find out if the Jayhawks can meet these expectations when the season begins on Thursday, August 29th.