If it doesn't happen this year...it probably never will...and we can just enjoy being a really good football program instead of having a chance to say we were the best in the USA.
I'm ok with that...Lots of other football programs have lived with that reality since the modern era of football.
Life went on after '98, but something was missing. It just didn't feel like things ended like they should have, being the better team but letting the hype get to our heads...including LHC LHC LHC LHC LHC Bill Snyder's although he would never admit to that.
This version of Bill has the experience of being there before, whereas '98 was new territory being the hunted and in the national title discussion...and now Bill has a quarterback with the mental game as well as the physical tools to make it happen.
I'm ALL IN. THERE is no going back. Baylor's only hope is to chuck'n'duck and pray for a pass interference on every other down. It aint gonna happen. Their defense doens't have the gas. KSU 40 Baylor 24
The key if it doesn't end how we all want is simply (to me) how it ends. The biggest part of 98 was how badly it all ended; starting with the debacle of losing the lead vs aTm, then the bowl free fall, then the loss to unranked Purdue. You can't get as high as we were and end worse, it was really about as awful as any team that was in a legitimate national title position in November has probably ended their season in the history of college football. Losing and not having a chance at a NC when its in your grasp is one thing, but 98 is a whole different category. I mean, even looking at OSU last year and their terrible loss, they still went on to win the league and then won the Fiesta Bowl. I'm sure it still sucks for them to look back at losing that ISU game, but they still had a historic season in the end, and we didn't get that in 98. I can't look back at 98 and consider it better than 4-5 other season because of how it ended, even though that was clearly our best team up until this season.
Right now the only thing that could come close to that would be losing to Baylor (or worse, Baylor and UT). I just think the chances of that happening are really low. However, if we beat Baylor but lose to UT, we are at worst in the Fiesta Bowl. Go there and win that game and it will feel a lot different (better) than 98. After a loss in 98 we really had no chance at redeeming the season, even beating Purdue wouldn't have meant much more, but this year I think we have that chance, so to me it just can't be as bad as 98 was.
Still, the memories of the end in 98 only makes me enjoy this season worse. I don't get much into KITN and I'm overly optimistic by nature, so I can't relate to being pessimistic and worrying a lot each game. I simply expect us to win each week and will be surprised if we lose. In between I just try to enjoy the benefits that this season brings on a daily basis whether it be KSUbben or an SI cover or whatever.
