College basketball rankings: Kansas at No. 12 on Sporting News list

The Kansas Jayhawks made a somewhat surprising run to the NCAA Tournament championship game in 2012, where they were defeated by an elite Kentucky team. The Jayhawks have put together a very talented group for this season, but they might be a sliver short of the talent that got them to the final against the Wildcats.

AOL Sporting News' college basketball power rankings for the preseason are out, and the Jayhawks are ranked No. 12 because of a lack of clear direction for the team as it looks for another title run:

It will be interesting to watch coach Bill Self establish playing time and rotations throughout the early portion of the schedule. There’s talent at Kansas—isn’t there always?—but no clear-cut formula for the Jayhawks to return to 30-win territory again this season.

Despite the fact that Kansas is slightly in limbo at the start of the 2012-13 season, Sporting News also mentions that it would be foolish to bet against Bill Self, who has led the Jayhawks to eight consecutive Big 12 championships.