ESPN recently released the floor and ceiling for each college football team. The floor is what they believe is the worst a team could do and the ceiling is the best. For Kansas Football the experts put their floor at 6-6 and their ceiling at 12-0.
The Floor
Everyone is talking about the ceiling for KU football, but it’s important to acknowledge this floor aspect. The fact that a .500 season and a bowl appearance is the worst outcome for a team that would have viewed that outcome as their ceiling just a few years ago is remarkable. This is yet another testament to why Lance Leipold is one of the best coaches in college football, producing a contender just a few years after he entered it.
On the other hand, some people are offended by this ranking, saying that KU football is so good the floor should be in the 7-5 and 8-4 range. First off, that is a little greedy, but at the same time, people need to realize this is the worst possible case scenario. Honestly, KU fans must recognize that because that is what has happened the last couple of years with injuries that have hampered Heisman Contender Jalon Daniels. If he suffers yet another injury combined with an injury to a star player like Cobee Bryant or Devin Neal, it could be a rough year compared to the projections for Kansas. This team isn’t just one or two players, but they are huge pieces that make these projections fly above previous years, and losing them would be catastrophic.
The Ceiling
Essentially, ESPN is saying that Kansas Football has no ceiling. And you know what? They are right. Kansas is in a strange position this year with so many talented players and so much mystery that no one knows how good this team could be. Basing the team off flashes of previous years is risky business because at times it appeared KU could compete with the likes of Georgia and Ohio State, and at times it appeared Kansas was returning to their former football ‘glory’.
In reality, Jalon Daniels is one of the best quarterbacks in College Football. When he is healthy, he is the most exciting quarterback in the BIG12 without a doubt. The key is staying healthy. Devin Neal is one of the best returning running backs and Cobee Bryant can put together a season at cornerback the likes that this program has never seen. Those three combined with the solid role players working with them combined with the coaching staff should scare future opponents. A 12-0 season would mean an appearance in the BIG12 Title Game and a spot in the College Football Playoff. It seems far-fetched, but KU became a contender right when the field was expanded from four to twelve, giving them their best odds in history.
Reality
The reality is that Kansas Football will likely end somewhere in the middle of these two projections. Neither of these are reasonable projections, but they are possible. A two or three-loss season would prove to be one of the best in KU history but could leave them short of one of the twelve highly-coveted spots in the College Football Playoff. A good projection for Kansas is to realize that they have a legitimate chance to be on the fence between a College Football Playoff berth and just missing out.
Just remember, three years ago they were 2-10.
