Kansas Football Cracks ESPN FPI Top 25 Rankings

Following a pair of convincing wins against Fresno State and Wagner, the Kansas Jayhawks have found themselves in a top 25 ranking for the first time this year. 

ESPN released their latest College Football Power Index (FPI) rankings on Sunday and KU comes in at No. 25 on the list with an FPI of 10.0. It's an increase of one spot from a week ago when the Jayhawks sat just outside the top 25 at No. 26 in the country. 

The only Big 12 teams listed ahead of KU currently are BYU (No. 17), Utah (No. 19), and Iowa State (23). Arizona State and Kansas State trail the Jayhawks at No. 26 and No. 28 respectively.

KU's projected win-loss total, per the FPI rankings, now sits at 8.0-4.2. Their percentage of winning six games and becoming bowl eligible is 94.6%, and their chances of winning the Big 12 Conference is 11.0%. KU has even higher odds of making the college football playoffs according to the index with a 13.0% chance. 

The top 25 ranking is an encouraging sign for this KU football team who has looked great on both sides of the football so far this season.

Quarterback Jalon Daniels appears to be back to his old self with 456 yards passing on 36-of-45 attempts, giving him an 85.0 quarterback rating on the season. He’s also thrown seven touchdowns with just one interception and has rushed for 65 yards on 11 carries – averaging 5.9 yards per rush.

Running back Daniel Hishaw Jr. appears to be healthy after last year’s injury, rushing for 158 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries this season. And the new group of wideouts have shown flashes of play-making ability with Ball State transfer Cam Pickett racking up 106 yards receiving and three touchdowns in the first two games and Alabama transfer Emmanuel Henderson Jr. having the best game of his career the other night against Wagner – reeling in 130 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

The Kansas defense has also been impressive this year, totaling six sacks and two interceptions while holding Fresno State and Wagner to just seven points in each game.

This Kansas football team is trending in the right direction and ESPN’s FPI rankings reflect that.  The Jayhawks will get their first real test of the season though when they head to Columbia, Missouri, for the renewed Border Showdown series this Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT.

About ESPN FPI

The Football Power Index is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.