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ESPN relaunched its Football Power Index (FPI) this week, and the Kansas Jayhawks received quite a favorable draw from the key metric.
Kansas is the No. 30 ranked team in the FPI, with a projected record of 7.9-4.3.
The FPI also gives KU an 87.4% chance to make a bowl game, an 11.3% chance to win the Big 12, and a 13.4% chance to make the College Football Playoff.
For those who are unfamiliar, the FPI is a predictive system that evaluates several factors for each school across the country, including returning production and the strength of its schedule.
Kansas was given the third-best odds to win the conference, trailing just Kansas State (19.9%) and Arizona State (13.0%). However, BYU is still projected to win more games than KU, with 8.0 estimated wins to the Jayhawks' 7.9.
After a disappointing season in 2024, Lance Leipold and the Jayhawks are looking to bounce back and become a top competitor in the Big 12.
Despite losing multiple key starters to graduation, KU made a splash in the transfer portal this offseason and returned star quarterback Jalon Daniels.
Additions like wide receiver Emmanuel Henderson, defensive back Jahlil Hurley, and linebacker Bangally Kamara will hopefully make up for lost roster production.
Considering Leipold's group failed to attain bowl eligibility with a subpar 5-7 record last year, seven or eight wins would be a step in the right direction for the program.
Ultimately, the play of Daniels and newcomers on both sides of the ball will determine a lot of KU's success.
More must-reads:
- Notre Dame believed to be trending toward surprise choice at quarterback
- Oregon suspends former five-star WR recruit indefinitely
- The '2023 NFL AP second-team All-Pro' quiz
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College Football Insider Predicts SEC Powerhouse Will Fire Head Coach and Lose Top Recruit to Rival
Notre Dame believed to be trending toward surprise choice at quarterback
The quarterback battle for Notre Dame is set to come to an end shortly, and it might be a surprise considering how the national media predicted the race to finish. Per Eric Hansen of On3, head coach Marcus Freeman is set to name the starting quarterback by Sunday when he meets the media. The Irish are still letting the quarterback battle play out until then, but it appears sophomore quarterback Kenny Minchey is the favorite to start at Hard Rock Stadium against the Miami Hurricanes on Aug. 31. Minchey has shown improvement in numerous areas throughout camp, and he has the edge on freshman quarterback CJ Carr in what is believed to be the final week of the competition. "As of Wednesday, the line between 1 and 2 remained blurred," Hansen wrote. "The tiebreaker may eventually go to Minchey, per the source, because of his ability to be a true running threat and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s preference to have that element to put pressure on opposing defenses. "But he also has a preference for QBs who can transcend adversity, and the training camp phase was choreographed to test precisely that. While both contenders responded persistently in a manner that defies their inexperience, Minchey has been exceptional in that regard." Throughout the summer, ESPN writers such as Bill Connelly and Mark Schlabach have written as though it were a forgone conclusion that Carr would win the battle in training camp. However, Minchey appears to be a natural fit for how offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock likes to scheme against a defense. He helped dual-threat Jayden Daniels earn a Heisman Trophy in 2023 and took Notre Dame to a national championship appearance with Riley Leonard. The battle isn't over, but the edge appears to be running Minchey's way.
3 Ways Craig Berube Is Changing the Maple Leafs’ DNA
When Craig Berube took over behind the Toronto Maple Leafs bench in May 2024, it wasn’t just about swapping one coach for another. Toronto brought him in to change the way the team thinks, plays, and competes. Less about tweaks, more about rewiring the team’s DNA. DNA Change 1: The Maple Leafs Have Moved From Star Reliance to Team Accountability For years, the Maple Leafs leaned on pure offensive talent to cover for defensive lapses. Berube’s not buying it. Under his watch, everyone—from Auston Matthews to the last guy on the fourth line—is held to the same standard. If you don’t compete shift to shift, you won’t get minutes. That doesn’t mean the stars won’t shine, but they’ll have to do it while committing to a 200-foot game. Matthews’ defensive reads are now a feature, not a bonus. William Nylander is being pushed to round out his play. And role players like Matthew Knies or Nicolas Roy have a clear mandate: excel in your lane. DNA Change 2: The Maple Leafs Have Moved to Structure Over Chaos In the Berube era, the Maple Leafs won’t be the same freewheeling team fans have known. Expect layers of structure—consistent forechecking, five-man defensive units, and smarter puck management. It’s hockey built for playoff survival, not just regular-season fireworks. That might mean fewer highlight-reel plays, but it’s the kind of style that doesn’t break under pressure in May. Of course, the jury remains out on the success of this venture. DNA Change 3: The Maple Leafs Now See Culture as a Competitive Edge Perhaps Berube’s biggest shift is intangible: culture. He’s stripping away the drama and replacing it with clarity and purpose. In St. Louis, that approach turned a last-place roster into Stanley Cup champions in 2019. In Toronto, it’s already giving young players and depth guys a clear role, while keeping the stars invested in the same system. That unity—between front office, coaching staff, and players—is something the Maple Leafs have chased for years. If Matthews can emerge as a leader in this venture, all the better. The Maple Leafs Might Not Win Pretty, But … The 2025–26 Maple Leafs might not always win pretty, but if Berube’s changes stick, they’ll be harder to play against, more resilient in tight games, and less likely to beat themselves. And that, in Toronto, might be the real breakthrough.
Browns' Shedeur Sanders could be losing valuable opportunity after injury update
Just when it seemed everything was going right for Shedeur Sanders, the Cleveland Browns' rookie quarterback caught an unlucky break on Wednesday. The 23-year-old QB was sidelined during Wednesday's joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles after suffering an oblique injury. Per Kelsey Russo of the team website, the 2025 fifth-round pick won't practice Thursday and is considered day-to-day. He is deemed unlikely to play in Saturday's preseason game against Philadelphia, scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on NFL Network. Before Wednesday's practice, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed rookie QB Dillon Gabriel will start against Philadelphia as long as he's healthy enough to play. The 2025 third-rounder missed Cleveland's preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers because of a hamstring issue. However, Stefanski previously said Sanders would get more reps this week after a solid preseason debut. The former Colorado Buffaloes star received the start in the 30-10 win over Carolina, going 14-of-23 passing for 138 yards and two touchdown passes. Not playing against Philadelphia could disrupt Sanders' momentum. More importantly, it may eliminate another opportunity for him to overtake Gabriel in Cleveland's four-way QB competition. Sanders is listed as the Browns QB4 behind Gabriel, Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco on the team's unofficial depth chart. Despite questions about Gabriel's size (5-foot-11, 205 pounds), the coaching staff seems to favor him over Sanders. Earlier this offseason, Gabriel's processing speed reportedly impressed Browns coaches, giving him an edge over Sanders. The former Oregon Ducks star also received reps with the first-team offense during OTAs and mandatory minicamp, while his fellow rookie didn't. If Gabriel plays well against the Eagles, that would continue to affirm the coaching staff's confidence in the 24-year-old QB. Neither Sanders nor Gabriel is expected to be the Week 1 starter for the Browns. It's likely going to be Flacco, who helped Cleveland make the playoffs in 2023 when he went 4-1 during a late-season stretch. Still, another solid preseason showing could help Sanders position himself to replace 40-year-old Flacco in the future. With the setback, it may take more time to climb the depth chart.
Chop Robinson injury update: Miami Dolphins star reveals severity after being carted off field
Dolphins fans can breathe a collective sigh of relief with the latest update on the injury to pass rusher Chop Robinson. The second-year defender had to be carted off the practice field Wednesday during a joint practice with the Detroit Lions. Robinson posted an update on social media a couple of hours later to let fans know he is “good” and the injury is “nothing serious.” It sounds like he avoided anything that would cause him to miss significant time, and the carting off the field was simply a precautionary measure. As a rookie, Robinson played in all 17 games for the Dolphins, starting one. He finished with 26 tackles, eight tackles for loss and six sacks. He finished fifth in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. Robinson was the No. 21 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Penn State. He played two seasons for the Nittany Lions after starting his career at Maryland. Over the course of his collegiate career, Robinson finished with 60 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, three pass deflections, two fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. Robinson had a career high 5.5 sacks in 2022. As a member of the Class of 2021, Robinson was a four-star recruit out of Gaithersburg (M.D.) Quince Orchard, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He was the No. 1 overall prospect in the state, the No. 5 EDGE in the class and the No. 62 overall prospect in the class. The Dolphins have their next preseason game on Saturday against the Lions. We might not see Chop Robinson play in that contest, but it doesn’t mean the injury is a serious one and would likely only be a precautionary measure from the team as it prepares for the regular season. Tyreek Hill trade rumors Multiple NFL teams reportedly monitoring future with Dolphins In addition to Robinson, there’s been drama with the Dolphins lately. There are now rumors that Tyreek Hill could fetch some trade requests from other teams. “So his status is uncertain, with an oblique injury right now, as for when he gets back in the lineup, is still up in the air,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said on SportsCenter. “Right now, I have talked to a few teams that are at least monitoring his future a little bit. Could he be a potential trade target? Now, I know the Dolphins earlier this summer were telling teams, no, we’re not trading Tyreek Hill, but they just, you know, wonder, is he going to be available? It could be wishful thinking. “Maybe they want him to be available, but he’s a player that when I bring up the teams and say, who’s sort of a trade target you’re watching? They bring up Tyreek Hill, so we’ll see. He’s a big option for Tua and that’d be a major move if they did move away from him.” On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this report.
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