Big 12 Football: 3 least appealing schools for PAC-12 expansion

Kansas

We’re building this list off the perspective of which football programs remaining in the Big 12 that the PAC-12 would likely think is the least appealing to bring into the mix. If we’re eliminating the basketball program from consideration, then bringing in the Kansas Jayhawks wouldn’t be something that the PAC-12 would want at all.

In fact, Kansas could even be a harder sell for the AAC if we’re talking exclusively about the fit of the football program. The Jayhawks became the doormat of the Big 12 on the gridiron over the course of the past dozen years. Since the end of the magical era for a bit through the 2000s under former head coach Mark Mangini, Kansas has pretty much hit rock bottom in the Power Five.

The last time that the Jayhawks had a winning season was in 2008, and the last time that this team won at least five games was in 2009. About the best that the Jayhawks did since then was a few three win seasons. Even former LSU Tigers head coach Les Miles couldn’t help to restore any success for this program. And he likely left it in worse shape than it was in when he showed up.

Kansas is trying its hand with former Buffalo Bulls head coach Lance Leipold moving forward. Leipold might be able to get this program a bit better, but it will take time to find some type of sustainable winning ways in Lawrence for the football program.

Leipold has a very tall task to try and restore this football program to some level of respectable heights. To say that he’s got an uphill battle ahead with the Jayhawks is very much an understatement. The PAC-12 likely wouldn’t make anything easier for Kansas on the gridiron, since there’s still some depth in that conference in football.