The Expectations Game Week 2

[Rage Against the McKee]

I still haven't seen anything from West Virginia that would suggest they are better than last year, which would put them about 6th or 7th in the Big 12. I mean, they should be a little bit better, having an extra year under Holgorsen's system and all, but I just don't see the team capable of winning the Big 12 that everyone else sees, I guess.

[Stevesie60]

I can't read this thread. I'm getting way too anxious about the season.

[MixBerryCrunch]

West Virginia's defense won't be able to stop us. Marshall put up nearly 550 on them and 35 points. The Snydercats have them beat on defense and special teams, that's 2/3 of the facets of the game.  The game will be close with their home field advantage but in the end, the 1-2-3 punch of Klein, Hubert and Sams will be too much for the WVU defense and Geno Smith simply won't be on the field enough to win the game.  The only game I see as a possible loss is Oklahoma. Ever since Stoops has been there LHC Bill Snyder hasn't been able to do much against him with the exception of the 2003 championship. If this were any other K-State team I would also have to predict a loss against an over matched opponent like OSU, since K-State teams have a reputation for doing that in great years. But with possibly the two best leaders ever at K-State in Klein and Brown I just don't see that happening.

11-1 or 12-0   

[kso_FAN]

Sticking with 10-2/9-3. We are a very good team with a very tough schedule. 10-2 could win the league.

[0.42]

Key
Win
Won
HOME
Away
Loss


9 WINS
3 LOSSES
MO STATE
MIAMI (FL)
N TEXAS
OU
KANSAS
Iowa State
W Virginia
T TECH
O STATE
Texas Christian
Baylor
TEXAS

I mean, yeah, we're pretty damn good. But Miami is basically a middling ACC team with 4-5 star talent, aka Florida State of 5 years ago. Crushing them is great, but it's not enough to make me jump on the 10-2/11-1 bandwagon yet. Winning @WVU, @OU, and @TCU is going to be tough as all hell. WVU has the offense to expose any flaws in our defenses and make up for their own defensive flaws. OU, while more out of sorts than previous years, still has the talent to beat our asses and just doesn't rough ridin' lose at home.

I don't buy the hype that TCU will be significantly down despite their offseason. Their offense will be upper level Big 12 and their defense just held Grambling to under 80 total yards and no points. Yeah, Grambling is a bad SWAC school, but holding any team to under 80 yards is impressive. If the game was in MHK, I'd predict it as a win, but I just have a bad feeling about it. If we beat OU at their place, I'll change my tune.

[8manpick]

blah blah

TCwho?

[0.42]

blah blah

TCwho?

 

[8manpick]

blah blah

TCwho?

 

I said it.  We're going to run their asses out of Ft. Worth.  2 TD+ win.

[0.42]

i hope you are right

[Sandstone Outcropping]

THE CATS ARE PRETTY rough ridin' GOOD, AGAIN.

Enjoyed this. You must have talked about the cats' 1st team All-American LB in another thread?

Yeah, he played the best game of his career yesterday - against his former team.  I bet that revenge made Arthur feel pretty good.  Then I bet Arthur felt a little bad because of the happiness that revenge gave him.

oh, yes

[ChiComCat]

Key
Win
Won
HOME
Away
Loss


11 WINS
1 LOSSES
MO STATE
MIAMI (FL)
N TEXAS
OU
KANSAS
Iowa State
W Virginia
T TECH
O STATE
Texas Christian
Baylor
TEXAS

eff it, I am going all in on the excitement with our 'cats.  I think we drop one out of the OU/WV/OSU crowd, so I'm going to go ahead and put it on WVU.  To beat our "bend but don't break" and long drive forcing defense, you have to be efficient.  You have to string together multiple 10-15 play drives.  We rely on the eventual turnover or penalty to kill it.  This year, if the Miami game is any indication, our pass rush/sacks are a new option to kill a drive as well as limit our pass defense's exposure.  OU/WV/OSU are the only teams I think that are capable of operating at the level of offensive efficiency needed to beat us (you could perhaps buy into Baylor).  The OU game will be dependant on which Jones shows up.  TCU and Texas have decent defenses, but I think their offenses are far too incomplete.

10-1 and outright Dr.P.  WV drops one stupid one and one to OU/TCU/TEXAS.

[Rage Against the McKee]

I see the final Big 12 standings as follows:

1. KSU (8-1)
2. Texas (7-2)
2. OU (7-2)
4. OSU (6-3)
5. Baylor (5-4)
5. West Virginia (5-4)
7. TCU (4-5)
8. Texas Tech (3-6)
9. ISU (1-8)
10. KU (0-9)

[Stevesie60]

I see the final Big 12 standings as follows:

1. KSU (8-1)
2. Texas (7-2)
2. OU (7-2)
4. OSU (6-3)
5. Baylor (5-4)
5. West Virginia (5-4)
7. TCU (4-5)
8. Texas Tech (3-6)
9. ISU (1-8)
10. KU (0-9)

I really, really, REALLY hope you're right.

[Rage Against the McKee]

I see the final Big 12 standings as follows:

1. KSU (8-1)
2. Texas (7-2)
2. OU (7-2)
4. OSU (6-3)
5. Baylor (5-4)
5. West Virginia (5-4)
7. TCU (4-5)
8. Texas Tech (3-6)
9. ISU (1-8)
10. KU (0-9)

I really, really, REALLY hope you're right.

So do I.

[EMAWesome]

I hate doing this, but I have a bad feeling about the Flood Aggies getting us this year..definite look ahead potential after beating the Squaks by 75, w/ CoalAggie on the horizon

Key
WinWon
HOMEAway
Loss


11 WINS
1 LOSSES

MO STATE
MIAMI (FL)
N TEXAS
OU
KANSAS
Iowa State
W Virginia
T TECH
O STATE
Texas Christian
Baylor
TEXAS

On a side note, this is from ESPN insider...

Take some more time with Kansas State

The Kansas State Wildcats played an outstanding game against the Miami Hurricanes, winning 52-13. No question about that. But don't automatically make the Wildcats a Big 12 contender based on that one result. The Hurricanes are going to be woefully outmatched most weeks, and Saturday was a huge physical mismatch.

The point: Don't lose sight of the fact that K-State won eight (or 10) games last season by an average of 4.5 points a game. It's a tough-nosed, disciplined team that's going to play hard every Saturday, but that has to eventually even out.

A huge test is coming in two weeks for the Wildcats, who go to Norman to face an Oklahoma Sooners team that beat them 58-17 in Manhattan in 2011. If they can even make it a game in the fourth quarter against the Sooners, then maybe it's time to start seriously considering K-State in the league race.

For now? Stay grounded after pummeling a bad team.




So, am I the only one that is sick of hearing these pundits make this "point" about how since we sone close games last year, we can never win another close game again?

[Rage Against the McKee]

I don't think anybody is making K-State a contender just because of the Miami game. It has a whole lot more to do with K-State being a top 10 team last season and returning 16 starters.

[EMAWesome]

I don't think anybody is making K-State a contender just because of the Miami game. It has a whole lot more to do with K-State being a top 10 team last season and returning 16 starters.

Agreed...but to ignore the result entirely based on LAST YEARS results is Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!)

[Mikeyis4dcats]

could be a lot of sad pandas around here in a couple of months...

[wetwillie]

could be a lot of sad pandas around here in a couple of months...

It is better to have loved and lost mikey.

[Rage Against the McKee]

I see a 9-3 finish as the absolute worst case scenario.

[bubbles4ksu]

could be a lot of sad pandas around here in a couple of months...

It is better to have loved and lost mikey.

I would love the crap out of a 9-3 team, so that is where I'm setting my expectations.

[EMAWesome]

I don't think anybody is making K-State a contender just because of the Miami game. It has a whole lot more to do with K-State being a top 10 team last season and returning 16 starters.

Agreed...but to ignore the result entirely based on LAST YEARS results is Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!)

Also, if you apply his (flawed) logic overall...wouldn't 'things balancing out' mean we are on pace to beat OU 58-17?

[steve dave]

An important thing I keep trying to remind myself is that 10 wins this year would be, like, 11 wins last year. 

[Rage Against the McKee]

I don't think anybody is making K-State a contender just because of the Miami game. It has a whole lot more to do with K-State being a top 10 team last season and returning 16 starters.

Agreed...but to ignore the result entirely based on LAST YEARS results is Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!)

Also, if you apply his (flawed) logic overall...wouldn't 'things balancing out' mean we are on pace to beat OU 58-17?

Well, I would agree that as a whole, if you play a ton of really close games, you aren't going to win them all, though the better team will usually still win. I still can't figure out why these guys think all of our games will be close like they were last year, though. Miami was a close game last year and we just beat them by a couple thousand points. It seems pretty obvious to me that this team is much better offensively than last year's team and at least as good defensively.

[puniraptor]

if you win a ton of close games and then improve, you win a ton of games