In the Big 12 this season, Utah is the flashy newcomer that is projected to finish on top of the standings, while Kansas State and Oklahoma State are the established winning programs projected to contend for the title.

Kansas, however, can’t be overlooked. The Jayhawks have finally tasted winning, and the tools to make a run at a Big 12 title are there.

This summer, BuffZone will preview each of Colorado’s opponents for the 2024 season and in this installment we look at Kansas, which will host the Buffs in Kansas City, Mo., on Nov. 23.

Last season, head coach Lance Leipold led KU to a 9-4 record, its first winning season since 2008. It was a dramatic change from the past. From 2009-21, the Jayhawks went 8-106 in Big 12 play. Then in 2022, KU snapped a 14-year bowl drought and got even better last year.

Leipold’s quick turnaround in Lawrence has been remarkable, considering the Jayhawks’ previous four head coaches all failed to win even four games in a season.

“What we said we were going to do with them in just the day-to-day operations, we did, and I think that started to build the trust and we started to build confidence,” Leipold said in an interview with On3 this spring.

Leipold has been at the forefront of building that confidence, but the Jayhawks have talent, too.

Offensively, KU was last in the Big 12 in scoring in 2021 (20.8 points per game), but second in 2022 (35.6) and fourth in 2023 (34.8).

Much of the 2022 success was led by star quarterback Jalon Daniels, but he missed 10 games in 2023 and the Jayhawks still produced. Daniels is healthy again, leading what should be an explosive attack.

“He’s throwing, he’s throwing it deep, throwing it all over,” Leipold said after the spring showcase in April. “He’s got a great attitude.”

Daniels has a stacked receiver group to catch his passes and one of the Big 12’s best running backs in Devin Neal.

The key to the offense could be how the offensive line comes together. Only two starters are back, but the Jayhawks filled some holes through the transfer portal.

“I think we’re finding some answers up front with the departures that we’ve had,” Leipold said in the spring.

Defensively, KU was solid last year, giving up 26.5 points per game (the lowest average for the program since 2007), but there are holes to fill.

The secondary could be as good as any in the Big 12, led by All-Big 12 cornerbacks Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson. Safety Marvin Grant is also a returning starter.

In the spring, Leipold said he’s liking the depth at defensive tackle, but the Jayhawks need players to step up on the edge. They’ll also lean on some experience at linebacker, led by junior JB Brown (57 tackles, six tackles for loss in 2023), but have to get others to fill bigger roles.

As a whole, this is a big opportunity for Kansas, which is loaded with experienced veterans and more than 30 seniors.

“This will be the largest senior class I’ve ever been a part of,” Leipold told On3.

The schedule sets up well, too. KU was picked to finish fourth in the conference, and of the other four teams in the top five, just one is on the Jayhawks’ schedule: they’ll visit rival Kansas State on Oct. 26. They don’t have to face Utah, Oklahoma State or Arizona.

Leipold believes his team is equipped to handle success and expectations as they aim for their first conference title since 1968.

“I think, overall, confidence is as good as it’s been,” he said in the spring. “I do think this group is understanding, even maybe more than we did at the beginning of the spring, of we still have to go out each and every day and work hard and the target is going to be a little bit different than it ever has been before for these guys in their college career.”