No. 13 Kansas Jayhawks

Editor’s Note: Beginning every May 1, Athlon Sports counts toward the release of its College Football Annuals by releasing one spot in its Top 25 every weekday for five weeks. The No. 1 team will be revealed June 4. Check AthlonSports.com every day to see who’s next in the countdown. The 2008 College Football Annuals hit newsstands June 3rd.

Kansas thrust itself into the national spotlight last season, coming within one win of perfection. The Jayhawks took an 11–0 record into the 2 vs. 3 matchup with Missouri in Kansas City and came up just short, but spent the offseason with a good taste in their mouths thanks to a 24–21 Orange Bowl win over Virginia Tech. Quarterback Todd Reesing, who threw a touchdown pass and ran for another in the Orange Bowl, is reason number one for optimism entering 2008. Nine returning starters on defense is reason number two.

In his first season as a starter, Reesing connected on 62 percent of his passes for 3,476 yards and 33 touchdowns, and ran for three scores. With two years to play, he already holds school career records with 36 touchdown passes and five 300-yard passing games. Brandon McAnderson is gone after an 1,135-yard, 5.9-per carry, 16-touchdown campaign, but Jake Sharp ran for 817 yards, 5.6 per carry and seven touchdowns as a backup and should slip right into McAnderson’s role as feature back. Dexton Fields has led the Jayhawks in receptions each of the last two seasons, and he’s back, but Marcus Henry was more of a home run threat, and he’s gone.

The top four tacklers return from 2007, led by first-team All-Big 12 linebacker Joe Mortensen (106 total stops) and followed by linebackers James Holt and Mike Rivera and safety Darrell Stuckey. Mortensen also paced the squad with 15 tackles behind the line. Safety Justin Thornton notched five interceptions despite not cracking the starting lineup until late in the season, while Stuckey and cornerback Chris Harris pitched in with two picks apiece.

The Colorado game this year is in Lawrence, but the Oklahoma game a week later is in Norman. In November, the Jayhawks will host Texas, then take a week off before taking on Missouri in Kansas City.

Give and take Mostly take. Kansas led the nation in turnover margin last fall at plus-1.62 per game.

Long time coming The 2007 Jayhawks appeared in the school’s first January bowl game since 1968.

Setting the standard Kansas set school per-game records last fall for total yards (479.8), passing yards (291.0) and points (42.8).

Kansas superlatives:

LB Joe Mortensen and KR Marcus Herford are named Second-Team All-America and First-Team All-Big 12.

CB Chris Harris is named First-Team All-Big 12.

RB Jake Sharp, WR Dexton Fields, C Ryan Cantrell and LB Mike Rivera are named Second-Team All-Big 12.

QB Todd Reesing, OL Chet Hartley, DL Russell Brorsen and S Darrell Stuckey join the All-Big 12 Third Team.

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You can read the entire Kansas preview in the 2008 Athlon Sports College Football magazine, available for purchase now at the Athlon Sports store.

Also coming to AthlonSports.com this summer:
— Top 25 Heisman Hopefuls
— Live chats with Athlon editors
— Conference-preview videocasts
— Launch of the 2009 Athlon Consensus 100
— Athlon's college fantasy football draft kit

Other in-season offerings:
— Previews for every college football game
— Fantasy games
— Sideline Spirit voting
— Scenes From Saturday
— Updated Athlon 119
— Much more

Be sure to return to AthlonSports.com after June 15 when complete team previews for all 119 teams will be available.

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