ESPN FPI: Where Kansas Stands in the Big 12 After Missouri Loss

The Kansas Jayhawks, as expected, took a fall in ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) rankings this week after dropping their first game of the season to Missouri.

As of Sept. 11, KU now sits at No. 34 in the country and No. 6 in the Big 12, with an FPI score of 8.8. Here's where all the teams in the conference sit right now.

Big 12 FPI Rankings Heading Into Week 3

1. Utah (13.8)
2. BYU (13.3)
3. TCU (13.2)
4. Texas Tech (10.4)
5. Iowa State (9.2)
6. Kansas (8.8)
7. Baylor (8.1)
8. Arizona State (7.8)
9. Arizona (6.5)
10. Kansas State (5.8)
11. UCF (5.5)
12. Cincinnati (4.4)
13. Colorado (3.7)
14. Houston (3.5)
15. West Virginia (0.2)
16. Oklahoma State (-6.5)

The Jayhawks had slipped into the top 25 last week once they opened their season with victories over Fresno State and Wagner, but they couldn’t keep that momentum going in Columbia against Missouri.

The final score was 42-31, with KU unable to hold onto a lead that grew as large as 15 points. Kansas’ defense allowed 4-of-5 4th-down conversions and 10-of-19 3rd-down conversions, failing to come up with stops when it mattered most.

Thankfully, the Jayhawks will have an opportunity to climb back up the FPI following their bye week and in their next contest against West Virginia. The Mountaineers just lost a road game at Ohio and could be in for a rough slate of league play in the 2025 campaign under new head coach Rich Rodriguez.

Kansas will open conference play with back-to-back home games in David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium against WVU (No. 15 in FPI) and Cincinnati (No. 11 in FPI), followed by road trips to UCF and Texas Tech.

Coming off the loss to Mizzou, it is imperative that KU opens Big 12 play with multiple wins before a tough trip to Lubbock. Lance Leipold's squad will be favored over its first three conference opponents, but Texas Tech could prove to be the toughest game of the year.

And perhaps the biggest game on the schedule — even if they aren't playing well right now — is the Sunflower Showdown against K-State. This is likely the best chance KU has had in quite some time to defeat the Wildcats and break the 16-year losing streak against its in-state rivals.

The Jayhawks still have time to climb back up in the FPI rankings, but they’ll need quality wins to do so, not just victories over inferior opponents.