Bill Snyder is an ageless wonder in the "Little Apple" of Manhattan. His time is clearly going to be ending soon with the Kansas State Wildcats, but he is going to hope to get this team to another bowl game this year with him in the twilight of his career.
2015 SCHEDULE
9/5: vs. South Dakota
9/12: at Texas San-Antonio
9/19: vs. Louisiana Tech
10/3: at Oklahoma State
10/10: vs. TCU
10/17: vs. Oklahoma
10/24: at Texas
11/5: vs. Baylor
11/14: at Texas Tech
11/21: vs. Iowa State
11/28: at Kansas
12/5: vs. West Virginia
The Big XII schedule is tough enough. Kansas State didn't need to go out of its way to schedule significantly harder games than the names on the program suggest. There's nothing to gain by playing against either Louisiana Tech or UTSA, but clearly, both games are going to be challenges, as both programs are on the rise and have units which can go toe-to-toe with major conference schools.
SEASON WIN TOTAL
Seven wins seems about fair this year for the Wildcats, and that's what they’re lined at by the oddsmakers for this season.
By all metrics, this is a middle-of-the-road team in the Big XII at worst and a slightly above average team in the conference at best. The variance between the ceiling and the floor probably isn't all that much. The stretch is likely between five wins and nine wins.
OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK
Jake Waters has graduated from Kansas State, and that really leaves a gaping hole at the quarterback position which needs to be filled. Joe Hubener did log some mop up duty last year, and he could be asked to play the role of QB1 this season.
In the backfield, Charles Jones is back after rushing for 13 TDs, and he is good bet to improve upon his 540 yards on 133 carries, knowing that he should have a greater share of the backfield load.
Still, with just six returning starters, none of which is the quarterback, it's really tough to see anything but a step backwards from last season's 35.8 points per game average.
DEFENSIVE OUTLOOK
The defense has always been at least good, if not great during Snider's tenure at Kansas State. This year shouldn't be an exception.
There are high hopes for Travis Britz along the defensive line, and the secondary is full of seniors all the way down to nickel corner, Nate Jackson.
A pass rush is going to be crucial, though. Kansas State had very good pass rushers last season, but with Britz coming back as the only returner along the front four, we question whether the Wildcats will still have that same degree of ferocity.
SEASON PREDICTION
Kansas State's mystery at the quarterback position is scary at best from our standpoint. Hubener was never the type of recruit designed to be a big time starting quarterback for a Big XII school. It's to the point that freshmen are getting a legitimate look to be KSU's starter, and that's never a good sign.
That said, it's tough to see this team not making a bowl game this year. Seven wins might be a bit steep. 6-6 feels right, especially if one of those first three games of the season played outside of the conference is lost.
The Wildcats are what they are in the Big XII. They aren't TCU, and they aren't Baylor, just as they aren't Kansas either. There will be good days and bad days, but there's no sense on betting on this team at 12 to 1 to win the Big XII or 175 to 1 to win the National Championship.
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