Kansas Is Ranked For The First Time In Nearly 13 Years

The Kansas Jayhawks are a ranked football team.

The Jayhawks are 5-0 after beating Iowa State 14-11 Saturday, and after missing the top 25 in the AP Poll last week, Kansas cracked into the rankings Sunday.

Lance Leipold's team is number 19 in the week six AP Poll.

How long has it been since the Jayhawks found themselves ranked among the best teams in the country? The last time fans saw Kansas in the AP top 25 was October 18, 2009 when the team was ranked 24th.

Since dropping out the next week, the Jayhawks never returned. For a measuring stick, Kansas was unranked for seven of Obama's eight years in the White House, the entire Trump administration and a significant chunk of Joe Biden's first term.

Kansas ranked in latest AP Poll. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images)

Three men have served as President between when the Jayhawks last saw the polls and now. If that doesn't put it in perspective, I'm not sure what will.

It's also great to see Lance Leipold and the Jayhawks rolling. Usually, Kansas is a joke. The program is an afterthought that went more than a decade without winning at least five games in a season.

Kansas didn't even win a game in 2015 or 2020. Now, thanks to Leipold's leadership, the Jayhawks are rolling.

Kansas ranked for the first time since 2009. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images)

Who ever would have believed the team in Lawrence would be arguably the best story in college football? Most fans definitely didn't, and that's what makes this sport so much fun.