3 Big 12 football teams that will exceed expectations in 2024

1. Kansas Jayhawks

Let me just start by saying that I love what Lance Leipold has done in Lawrence. He's one of my favorite coaches in college football and he's worked wonders at Kansas.

With that being said, I think he constantly gets overlooked. He's somehow entering the 2024 season with projections of finishing somewhere in the 6-10 range in the Big 12 despite coming off a 9-4 campaign in 2023 in which he was able to post his best record as Kansas head coach despite not having Jalon Daniels healthy for most of the season.

Just wild disrespect.

Daniels is back at quarterback after missing most of 2023 and I think that will be one of the biggest reasons for this exceeding of expectations. He's one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the nation and he's absolutely electric when he's healthy. Devin Neal also returns to the backfield giving Daniels a much-needed weight off his shoulders.

I also really like Kansas' schedule. The Jayhawks will likely start the season 3-0 and I see them pulling off a road upset again West Virginia. At worst, they'll head into an Oct. 12 bye with a 5-1 record. Out of the bye, they'll beat Houston before losing at Kansas State to sit at 6-2 before another bye. I think they could win out in November with Iowa State, BYU, Colorado, and Baylor on the schedule, but let's just go with 3-1 to be safe. A 9-3 regular season is honestly flirting with a Big 12 title.

Kansas has gotten better every year under Leipold, so why would we think that changes in 2024 with Texas and Oklahoma gone and its starting quarterback returning and healthy?