Lance Leipold on Kansas in conversation for expanded College Football Playoff: 'Going to be game changing'

Lance Leipold turned Kansas around just in time to be in the conversation for the College Football Playoff.

Now that the CFP is expanded to 12 teams, it opened the door for more schools to try and get into the bracket. Kansas is one of those teams as a contender in the new-look Big 12 conference.

Just being in the conversation has been “game changing” for Leipold and the Jayhawks.

“I’m going to give you just a quick story,” Leipold began on the Paul Finebaum Show. “We had our Chancellor meet with a recruit this past June, and he was telling him a percentage based on College GameDay coming to campus, versus even our national championship basketball year. And now some of those are numbers and influence is going to bleed together. But what it does for notoriety, not just for a football program or athletic department, it’s impacting our university and our community and our state. 

“And it means so much that we could be part of it. So to have a chance to be in that conversation, and being in it as often as possible, is truly going to be game changing. Hopefully it’s going to impact our recruiting and, of course more importantly, success on the field.”

After taking over a rebuilding Kansas team in 2021, Leipold went 2-10. However, he went 6-7 the next year leading the Jayhawks to the Liberty Bowl.

Then in 2023, it was a breakout year. Kansas went 9-4 overall, winning the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. Don’t let the 17-21 overall record fool you.

Leipold is 163-60 overall as a head coach with Kansas, Buffalo and Division III power Wisconsin-Whitewater.

“That program was in such a deep hole,” The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman said. “I mean Les Miles was there and, just, it was in disarray. He got them back to the Top-25. I mean they were terrific. In his first year, they get their first road win at Texas ever and they snap an 18-game, Big 12 losing streak. The next year he gets them in the Top-25 for the first time in over 13 years. Then, last year, they win nine games and they beat Oklahoma for the first time in over a quarter century. It is amazing what this guy has done.”