In a realigned college sports landscape, what do Kansas and K-State have to offer?

Say this for conference realignment outbursts in college sports. They make all schools, not just the ones directly involved, check their pulse.

So it’s been once again for Kansas and Kansas State in the weeks since the latest college sports eruption, USC and UCLA shifting from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten in 2024.

The announcement came nearly a year after Texas and Oklahoma said they were departing the Big 12 for the SEC, scheduled to start in 2025.

The announcement reverberated through Manhattan and Lawrence, but this one felt different, said Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor.

“I’m in a lot better place than I was a year ago,” Taylor said. “Right now, the 12 or 14, however you want to count it, we’re in a position of strength compared to last year. We don’t have to panic. We don’t have to call everybody. If we do, let’s make sure it’s the right ones.”

A year ago, the Big 12 moved quickly to stabilize, adding Houston, Brigham Young, Cincinnati and Central Florida about six weeks after the Texas/Oklahoma blow. That would seem to be an option for the Pac-12, adding schools from the West or Mountain time zones to maintain its identity.

Or the Big 12 could get aggressive and gauge the interest of Pac-12 schools in joining the Dallas-based league. New commissioner Brett Yormark said Wednesday that the league was “open for business.”

Whatever happens, the Sunflower State schools are flashing a cautious OK sign. They’ve been viewed as vulnerable in previous realignment scenarios, schools with limited lifelines, at least when it comes to speculation.

But whatever their place in the offices of other conferences, the schools have a healthy self-image and believe they have plenty to offer.

“It is a chance to ask, ‘What are the unique assets and positives about the University of Kansas?’ Academic strength and being an (Association of American Universities) member matters a lot,” Kansas athletic director Travis Goff said.

“We have a brand that resonates across the world, literally a logo that induces a reaction all over the place, and it doesn’t hurt to have another reminder just a few months ago that we have as quality and sustained basketball program as any in the country.”

All true. When Texas leaves, Kansas will be the only Big 12 member with AAU membership, and the Jayhawks are coming off their fourth NCAA men’s basketball championship.

Then there’s football, a program with a 6-83 record over the past decade, the worst among Power Five programs, and football brand attractiveness is the primary reason for realignment. Fix that–and Kansas believes it has the right coach in Lance Leipold to begin a turnaround–and...

“What I spend most my time feeling optimistic about, we have all of these things that are incredibly strong and proven, and have what I believe is the greatest potential (for improvement) in Power Five sports with our football program,” Goff said.

The Kansas State case rests with winning football as a bowl game regular and a fan base that punches above its weight class.

“We’ve had a long history of success in football and basketball,” Taylor said. “We don’t have millions of eyeballs but the ones we have are passionate. They’re going to travel. We have good programs in how we compete, successful, we do it the right way.

Taylor felt uneasy when he peeked at speculation last year in the weeks of Big 12 uncertainty. Now, he’s reading similar fears expressed by Pac-12 programs.

“You just have to feel secure you are as a program and what you bring to the table,” Taylor said. “I know we’re well respected in the industry because of the program, because of what Bill (Snyder) built.

“If were all the sudden were were to go to two or three conferences and we all split up — and I don’t think that’s the case — I think we’ll be in pretty good shape.”