During head coach Bill Snyder’s second go around as head coach at Kansas State the Wildcats have been on of the most consistent teams in the nation. The Wildcats average 8.1 wins per season during the last nine seasons under Snyder and have gone to eight straight bowl games. Is this year for K-State to get Snyder a second Big 12 title in his second tour with the Wildcats?
Wildcats 2018 regular season win total
Over 7
Under 7
Odds courtesy of BetDSI Sportsbook.
What Happened Last Year
If a double overtime loss at Texas, one-touchdown loss against Oklahoma and a five-point loss to West Virginia go the other way for Kansas State the Wildcats are looking at a shot in the Big 12 championship a season ago in a stellar season. But those games didn’t go K-State’s way, but an eight-win season with victories against Oklahoma State, Iowa State and UCLA in the Cactus Bowl to end the season could bring some momentum into 2018.
What Will Change This Year
Offensively, not a whole lot will change with sophomore quarterback Skylar Thompson back as well as dual-threat Alex Delton. Kansas State’s leading rusher Alex Barnes also returns as well as two of the Wildcats’ top-two pass catchers in Isaiah Zuber and Dalton Schoen.
Defense is a different story. K-State’s top-two tacklers, leading pass rusher and interceptions leader from last season are all gone. The Wildcats do have three solid returners in the defensive backfield, which is key in the pass-happy Big 12, with Denzel Goolsby, Kendall Adams and Duke Shelley all returning. K-State will need to guys up front in the linebacking group to step up to battle for a Big 12 title.
Outlook & Prediction
The Big 12 looks to be as even as ever with many programs with a plethora of returners all over the field. Kansas State’s non-conference season features three home games against South Dakota, UT-San Antonio and Mississippi State and Big 12 home games against Texas, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Texas Tech. A quick glance at the home slate looks like three sure fire wins and three tossups with the Red Raiders, Longhorns and Bulldogs. If all three of the tossups fall the way of the Wildcats, they would still need two on the road to get the over and K-State travels to Oklahoma, TCU, West Virginia, Iowa State and Baylor.
With Snyder at the helm and a good core of returners on offense, K-State should be bowl eligible once again, but unless the defense steps up the Wildcats could be looking at 7-5 once again in the regular season.
