Is Cincinnati KU Football’s Toughest Opponent Yet? Lance Leipold Thinks So

The Kansas Jayhawks have taken care of three of their first four opponents in blowout fashion, with the lone exception being Missouri.

Lance Leipold's group holds victories over Fresno State, Wagner, and West Virginia by large margins, but it wasn't able to take down Missouri in an exciting rivalry matchup.

The Tigers, now ranked No. 20 in the AP Poll, are considered one of the best teams in the SEC and a legitimate contender to make the College Football Playoff. In hindsight, KU's loss to Mizzou may not look all that bad on paper, especially if the Tigers keep rolling in conference play.

However, Leipold may have inadvertently thrown some shade at Missouri in his recent press conference. The Jayhawks' head coach stated that he thinks Cincinnati, the team's upcoming opponent this Saturday, is the toughest team they will have faced all season.

"With the quarterback position, what they're able to do, and the start that they're off to, I think that our guys are well aware after introductions today that this will be the best team that we've played so far," Leipold stated during his press conference on Monday.

Cincinnati Is Better Than Missouri? Interesting...

That was quite a bold statement from Leipold, especially considering the Jayhawks weren't able to pull one out against Missouri.

Cincinnati is certainly a respectable squad, having gone down to the wire against Nebraska in a neutral-site game and taking care of its other two nonconference opponents. Still, most would agree it's far too early to say the Bearcats are better than Missouri, which boasts an elite rushing attack and multiple future NFL players.

This could just be coachspeak, as Leipold surely doesn't want to give the Bearcats any bulletin-board material by saying they aren't a formidable squad. He is giving credit where credit is due and wants to emphasize the importance of the game.

Scott Satterfield's group is certainly capable of taking KU down in Lawrence this weekend. That said, there is no world right now where UC is remotely on Missouri's level.

MORE: Kansas vs. Cincinnati: Will Jayhawks Have Trouble Containing Brendan Sorsby’s Legs?

Props to Coach Leipold for giving respect to his upcoming opponent and maybe adding a little more fuel to the Border Showdown ahead of next year's matchup in David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

Kansas and Cincinnati have an early kickoff at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 27, as the Jayhawks look to stay undefeated in Big 12 play.