ESPN Names Kansas State The BCS Title Favorite

[steve dave]

http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/49901/kansas-state-a-bcs-title-sleeper

[kso_FAN]

Kansas State Wildcats

Isolated as Blacksburg might be, Manhattan, Kan., makes it look like Manhattan, N.Y. And LHC Bill Snyder embraces an air of isolation, which is a big reason that K-State was able to sneak up on the Big 12 a year ago.

While the Wildcats will not necessarily surprise anyone this season, they're still being somewhat overlooked when it comes to the league race. Newcomers TCU and West Virginia have received a fair amount of ink, and Oklahoma and Texas do every year. But in a season in which there is no clear-cut favorite, how can Kansas State be summarily dismissed? The Wildcats return 17 starters from a team that won 10 regular-season games -- more than Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia.

Quarterback Collin Klein, the 6-5, 230-pound boulder who wound up receiving a few votes for the Heisman, accounted for 40 of the team's 65 touchdowns (61.5 percent) and 3,059 of its 4,381 yards (69.8 percent). "You knew he was all they had [offensively], but you still had to tackle him," one Big 12 head coach said this spring, his defensive coordinator nodding beside him.

After 27 rushing scores, and the book on him clearly available, surely Klein will need to throw more this fall. There was an obvious emphasis on the forward pass in the team's spring game. Klein flourished, completing 47 of 56 throws for 480 yards and six touchdowns. That speaks well for K-State improving its 4.9 yards-per-play average, 106th in the country in 2011.

After giving up almost 400 yards a game last season, and the spring game perhaps highlighting work to do this summer, the defense will need to tighten up, even if it does have future pro talents like Arthur Brown at linebacker and Nigel Malone at corner. In their first years after transferring in, Brown had a team-high 101 tackles and Malone was tied for fourth in the country with seven interceptions.

[Winters]

 

[420seriouscat69]

:Yawn: Just another day in the life of a Kstater.

[Winters]

I bet our rival, West Virginia is furious about this! 

[OregonSmock]

Isolated as Blacksburg might be, Manhattan, Kan., makes it look like Manhattan, N.Y.

Ouch.  That one's gonna leave a mark.

[ben ji]

Isolated as Blacksburg might be, Manhattan, Kan., makes it look like Manhattan, N.Y.

Ouch.  That one's gonna leave a mark.

 

[Sandstone Outcropping]

 

[p1k3]

Manhattan's isolation is one of its greatest attributes imo

[CatsNShocks]

So blessed.

[steve dave]

I love being number 1 again

[WildcatNkilt]

Media DARLING   

[steve dave]

Media DARLING   

It's amazing how often we are made America's team by the national media.  It's been, like, 8 out of the last 15 years in football and about 4 of the last 6 years in hoops. 

[Sandstone Outcropping]

Media DARLING   

It's amazing how often we are made America's team by the national media.  It's been, like, 8 out of the last 15 years in football and about 4 of the last 6 years in hoops.

Would it be possible to hang a banner for this next to the banner for "having football team in a bowl game, winning a game in the Volleyball, MBB and WBB tourneys, having a national fishing champion, and the best meat goat center"? I don't think this has ever been done before.

[ChiComCat]

I like the quote about Colin Klein

[OK_Cat]

yawn

winning the national championship this year will be kinda boring since it's expected.  takes the fun out of it, ya know?

['taterblast]

Manhattan's isolation is one of its greatest attributes imo

i actually agree. sounds hayseedish but no, denied. i like that an unattractive interstate doesn't run through or is connected to the town.