Big 12 Football Power Rankings | #10 Kansas Jayhawks

We are officially in the dog days of summer as we slowly countdown to August 30th when the Oklahoma Sooners kickoff the 2014 football season. In attempt to curb the appetite for football, let's break down the Big 12 power rankings and divulge into a conversation.

10. Kansas Jayhawks

2013 Finish - 3-9 (1-8)

The Jayhawks have occupied the bottom of the totem pole for quite some time now. However, every now and then Kansas produces a bright spot. Last season James Sims proved himself a worthy opponent behind 1,110 yards on 230 carries to go along with 7 touchdowns. Unfortunately, Sims has graduated along with three offensive lineman.

If that wasn't a big enough setback, Jake Heaps, the former starting quarterback, announced his decision to take his talents elsewhere. The expectation is for sophomore Montell Cozart, who completed 36.5% of his passes last season, to take over the starting role in Heaps' absence. Needless to say, it appears that the Jayhawks must rebuild an offense that already struggled against the rest of the conference.

On the other side of the ball, Kansas returns nine starters on a defense that ranked 94th in scoring defense a year ago. Experience will be key moving forward but the talent gap must decrease if KU hopes to improve upon that ranking. With a recruiting class ranking 9th in the conference and 55th nationally, that desperately needed talent to move up in the Big 12 may be lurking in the future.