CBS Sports’ latest all-sports ranking gives Kansas a result that lands a little better than you might expect.
Using a formula built to reward success across multiple major sports, the Jayhawks checked in at No. 25 nationally for the year. CBS Sports said the idea was not just to hand out points for championships, but to capture “sustained success across multiple sports, with postseason performance weighted more heavily than regular-season results.”
The list included football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball. CBS Sports also spelled out the scoring system: “Each sport was scored using the following formula: (0.3 × (regular-season win percentage × 100)) + (0.7 × postseason score). That means 30% of a team's score came from regular-season success, while 70% came from postseason performance.”
The postseason values ranged from bowl eligible or an NCAA Tournament appearance at 20 points all the way up to a national title at 100. Bowl wins, Round of 32 appearances and regional finals were worth 30.
CFP appearances, Sweet 16 trips and Super Regionals were worth 45. CFP quarterfinals, Elite Eight and College World Series berths carried 60.
CFP semifinals, Final Four and CWS semifinals were worth 75. National runners-up got 90.
CBS Sports then averaged the final score across each school’s participating sports, and noted that conference tournaments were left out because formats vary too much.
For Kansas, the biggest programs dragged the total down. Men’s basketball had stretches that looked strong on paper, including an eight-game winning streak, but the Jayhawks also took losses to Cincinnati, West Virginia, Arizona State and UCF and fell short again before the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
Women’s basketball finished 22-14, but the Big 12 results left Kansas out of the postseason for the second straight year.
Football also came up short, with the Jayhawks missing a bowl game and unable to give Jalon Daniels and the seniors the finish they wanted.
There was better news elsewhere. Volleyball advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament before falling 3-0 to No. 1 Nebraska, a strong run that gave Kansas a boost.
Baseball and softball supplied the biggest lift. Softball finished 36-21, a major jump from every previous season under Jennifer McFalls, and reached the NCAA Regionals before losing twice to Michigan. Baseball went even further, reaching the NCAA Super Regionals before falling to Oklahoma, which went on to win the College World Series.
Those postseason pushes from baseball and volleyball helped make up for what CBS Sports viewed as a slightly below-average year overall for Kansas. Still, in a ranking built to weigh success across the board, No. 25 is hardly a bad place to land.
In Other News...
Kansas Frontcourt Search Just Took A Frustrating Turn
Kansas kept a close eye on Moustapha Thiam as it worked through a frontcourt market that still feels unfinished, but the Jayhawks will have to keep searching. The 7-foot-2 sophomore center transferred from Cincinnati and drew attention with the kind of size and production that fit an obvious need in Lawrence, especially as Kansas continues to look for more help inside.
Thiam is staying at Michigan under new coach Mike Boynton, leaving Kansas to pivot again in a center hunt that has not produced a clean solution yet. The Jayhawks are still sorting through other possibilities, and J.P. Estrella is among the names that could remain in play, but there is no sign the roster puzzle in the paint is anywhere close to being solved. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Staff Is Already Seeing Something Different In Tyran Stokes
With the 2026-27 Kansas basketball roster still taking shape, Tyran Stokes is already the kind of freshman who draws attention before he even steps on the floor. The highly regarded newcomer arrived in Lawrence with the length, athleticism and shot creation that made him one of the top recruits in the country, and he brought the kind of ceiling that has NBA evaluators talking about him as a possible future No. 1 pick.
Jeremy Case added another layer to that buzz during a recent radio appearance, pointing to a part of Stokes game that doesnt always get the first mention when people talk about his talent. Kansas has plenty of reasons to be excited about a player who chose the Jayhawks over other blue-blood programs, but the staff already seems to think there is more to him than the obvious tools, which is often where the most interesting freshman stories begin. [Read more 🡒]
One KU Unit Looks Alarming While Another Is Turning Heads
Kansas entered the 2026 offseason with more than 45 new players in the building, so there was always going to be some guesswork attached to how Lance Leipolds roster would stack up once the dust settled. Phil Steeles latest Big 12 position-group rankings offered one early snapshot, and the picture is a mixed one for the Jayhawks, with some units drawing respect while others still look like works in progress.
The most encouraging sign for KU is in the backfield, where the running backs are getting noticed as one of the conferences better groups. But the numbers also underline how much uncertainty remains elsewhere, especially when the evaluation turns to the most important position on the field and special teams. For a team trying to blend a major wave of newcomers into something cohesive, those contrasts might end up telling the story of the season. [Read more 🡒]