Kansas Football Preview

Everything went right in 2007 for the Jayhawks and they jumped on their historical opportunity by winning a BCS bowl game while going 12-1. Many of the players responsible for the accomplishment are back again. So why isn't Kansas being tagged as a Top 10 preseason team by most of the preseason polls? Because the schedule gets a major upgrade as Texas and Oklahoma dot a list they were not on last fall. But savvy QB Todd Reesing returns after being one of the biggest surprises of a year ago while tossing 33 TDs and racking up 3,486 yards in this up-tempo spread offense. His big weapons will continue to be receivers Dexton Fields, Dezmon Briscoe and former QB Kerry Meier, who eventually turned into a dangerous utility player throwing, catching and running from numerous positions. The run game will have to work without big FB/TB Brandon McAnderson however. But TB Jake Sharp is no slouch and Jocques Crawford, the JUCO Offensive Player of the Year arrives this August. The interior of the OL is bolstered by senior center Ryan Cantrell but two new tackles will have to be found to protect Reesing. All but two starters are back on defense. The LBs may be the team's best-stocked unit with three returning starters who are all seniors. Joe Mortensen anchors the middle and is a top candidate for the Butkus Award. Five ends who rotated all season long, three safeties that did the same and two CBs who both saw plenty of action return. Although replacing top NFL draft pick Aqib Talib on the corner won't be that easy. This team probably won't go 12-1 again with the major upgrade of the schedule. But they will win eight to ten games and continue to put Lawrence and head coach Mark Mangino on a top rated pedestal.