Jul. 17—***
Are you ready for the most college football ever? Twelve teams in the playoffs means eight more postseason games than before. What used to be three is now 11 to decide who is best,
The favorites might dominate in the first two rounds. Or the semifinals will be filled with bottom seeds. We can only hope.
Kick back, relax and enjoy every moment of it. As a primer, I will use this space over the next month and half to count down my preseason Top 50. I welcome complaints and disagreements I might even include them in future stories.
And away we go …
Fourth-year coach Lance Leipold has a good thing going in Lawrence. The basketball school won nine games last season and brings back more than half of its starters. Partly because of the talent on hand and partly because of Leipold’s history as a winner, the team is considered a contender to reach the Big 12 title game. … The most important player, by far, is quarterback Jalon Daniels, the preseason pick to earn all-conference honors. He played in only three games in 2023 before a back injury ended his season. … Tailback Devin Neal is one of the best in the loaded Big 12 and should end his career as the school’s all-time rushing leader. … Three starters are back on the offensive line. … Three starters are back in the secondary, which will be the strength of the defense. … The Jayhawks don’t play preseason favorite Utah or Oklahoma State.
Perhaps, the air is too thin for Kansas and the team will flop back to Earth. Some think the Jayhawks are a potential playoff team, but some are wrong a lot. … Very risky to count on Daniels. … The team faces early road tests at Illinois and West Virginia. Later, it goes to rival Kansas State, which is another Big 12 contender. … The defense might need to keep Kansas in games early while Daniels finds his form.
50. Maryland Big Ten
49. Colorado Big 12
48. Georgia Tech ACC
47. Tulane American
46. UCF Big 12
45. South Florida American
44. Appalachian State Sun Belt
43. Rutgers Big Ten
42. Virginia Tech ACC
41. Texas Tech Big 12
40. Liberty Conference USA
39. South Carolina SEC
38. Washington Big Ten
37. North Carolina ACC
36. Boise State Mountain West
35. Memphis American
34. Kentucky SEC
33. Nebraska Big Ten
32. Florida SEC
31. Auburn SEC
30. SMU ACC
29. Wisconsin Big Ten
28. West Virginia Big 12
27. Iowa State Big 12
26. NC State ACC
25. Iowa Big Ten
24. Arizona Big 12
23. Louisville ACC—July 13
22. Southern California Big Ten
21. Kansas State Big 12
20. Texas A&M SEC—July 16
The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
