Kansas State
College Football
Preview
Odds and Schedule
Kansas State has had quite the run over the last couple of seasons, but that senior class is out which creates plenty of holes. The good thing is that Bill Snyder is still the head coach and it doesn’t really matter what players he has, his teams always surprise.
With that in mind, there may be some value in the Kansas State futures odds. They are listed at odds of between 250 to 1 and 300 to 1 at 5 Dimes Sportsbook and Sportsbook.ag. Might be worth a shot with a coach like Bill Snyder driving the ship.
Gone is Heisman candidate Collin Klein who totaled 79 touchdowns in the past two seasons. That’s the most glaring problem for this offense as most other starters are returning. The entire offensive line will be back as well as leading rusher John Hubert and respected receivers Tyler Lockett and Tramaine Thompson. The fact that their line will be back should make things easier on the next QB. National JUCO offensive player of the year Jake Waters comes in and he’ll battle Daniel Sams for the starting job. As long as they don’t throw Games away, the Wildcats should have enough offense to compete.
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Defensively it’s a whole other animal with eight starters gone including the entire defensive line and linebacker Arthur Brown, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. While their defense wasn’t amazing last year, they still got the job done and it’s going to be a tough transition for the new guys in the high-scoring Big 12. LUckily, three starters will be returning in the secondary which should give help matters in their early Schedule.
2013 Kansas State Football Schedule
Aug. 31 vs. North Dakota State
Sept. 7 vs. Louisiana-LAfayette
Sept. 14 vs. Massachusetts
Sept. 21 at Texas
Oct. 5 at Oklahoma State
Oct. 12 vs. Baylor
Oct. 26 vs. West Virginia
Nov. 2 vs. Iowa State
Nov. 9 at Texas Tech
Nov. 16 vs. TCU
Nov. 23 vs. Oklahoma
Nov. 30 at Kansas
Their non-Conference Games shouldn’t be a problem as they are all at home, although LA-LAfayette shouldn’t be taken lightly. The big problem comes once Big 12 play starts up as their first two Games will be on the road at Texas and Oklahoma State. Throw in Baylor in their next Game and the Wildcats could easily have three losses early on in Conference play if their defense struggles at all.
Fortunately for the Wildcats, their only two other road Games come at Texas Tech and Kansas, two places that usually aren’t that tough to play. Home Games against TCU and Oklahoma in November won’t be easy, though.
In somewhat of a rebuilding season, Kansas State is still projected to be in the Top 25 in most early season polls, but Snyder knows they have a lot of work to do if that’s to come to fruition. Most teams in the Big 12 can Scoreon anyone (especially against an inexperienced group) and if their quarterback can’t move the ball down the field, there will be problems. Hubert is a quality running back with a good offensive line, but he can’t run the offense.
If they want to finish in the Top 25, at least nine wins should be expected. However, due to the previously mentioned newcomers, this team might only reach the eight-win mark. Of course with Snyder leading the way, maybe 10 wins should be in the scope.