2011-2012 Football Previews – Big 12 – Kansas St. Wildcats
Bill Snyder may be 71 years old, but he can definitely still coach. Snyder has put together an impressive 149-80 record in his tenure at Kansas State.
Most impressive about that record is the fact that Kansas State never had any success on the field in the years before Snyder took over the program.
Kyle Hunter
Big 12 Previews – KSU Wildcats
Head Coach: Bill Snyder
2010 Record: 7-6
Kansas State Gambling Odds from BetOnline to win BCS: +10,000
Kansas State Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2011 Schedule –>
He truly has been one of the best coaches of the last couple decades.
No one in the country is better at rebuilding a football program than Bill Snyder.
Kansas State’s offense carried the load last year, but they must replace both their quarterback and starting running back. Snyder understood that this team lost a ton of top-notch talent and he went out and brought in quite a few Junior College transfers. Also, Bryce Brown and Arthur Brown transferred in and they should be a major part of the team in 2011.
While the 2010 season was a successful one, the 36-34 loss in the Pinstripe Bowl to Syracuse was nothing short of heartbreaking.
Expectations aren’t too high here, but Snyder generally helps this team get a lot out of its ability.
Team Strengths:
Even though the Wildcats lost Daniel Thomas, a very good running back, I expect the running back spot to be a big strength for the team again this year. Bryce Brown should get most of the carries, with DeMarcus Robertson also getting some touches. Don’t forget that Bryce Brown was widely regarded as the best running back in the country in high school. I expect Brown to be a star at Kansas State.
Snyder likes to have a deep secondary, and he appears to have that once again in 2011. While the defense wasn’t good overall in 2010, the secondary was solid. Opponents completed just 55.3% of their passes against Kansas State last season.
Tysyn Hartman and Ty Zimmerman give the Wildcats an impressive pair of safeties at the back line of their defense.
The Wildcats return three talented wide receivers. They should get some solid production out of Tremaine Thompson, who missed half of last year with an injury.
Team Weaknesses:
The glaring weakness of this Kansas State team is the front seven on defense. Quite simply, they are generally dominated by the opposing offensive front. In 2010, Kansas State allowed opponents to rush for 231 yards per game on 5.9 yards per carry. The defensive line doesn’t do well clogging the run, and they put a lot of pressure on the secondary by not getting after the opposing quarterback.
While the offensive line was tremendous last year, only two of those starting linemen return in 2011. Kansas State relies heavily on its running game, and it might be difficult for them to duplicate last year’s success with an inexperienced offensive line.
2011-2012 Kansas State Football Prediction: 5-7
I’m going to say the team wins five games this year because Snyder seems to always outperform expectations, but the schedule looks rough for Kansas State. Early October will tell us a lot about the Wildcats as they face Baylor and Missouri at home to start the Big 12 season.
The offensive line doesn’t look as strong as last year, and the defense will still struggle to stop the opposition.
I could see Kansas State upsetting a top team at some point, but I don’t think they will be able to consistently win in the Big 12.
Expect the Wildcats to take a little bit of a step back this year.
2011 Kansas State Wildcats Schedule
09/03/11 vs. Eastern Kentucky
09/17/11 vs. Kent State
09/24/11 at Miami
10/01/11 vs. Baylor
10/08/11 vs. Missouri
10/15/11 at Texas Tech
10/22/11 at Kansas
10/29/11 vs. Oklahoma
11/05/11 at Oklahoma State
11/12/11 vs. Texas A&M
11/19/11 at Texas
12/03/11 vs. Iowa State
