With Texas and Oklahoma grabbing the headlines for their impending move to the SEC and TCU with its run to the College Football Playoff last year, let’s not forget that it was the Kansas State Wildcats who won the Big 12 championship in 2022. Coming off a 10-win season that included an upset of TCU in the Big 12 title game, the Cats posted their first double-digit win campaign in a decade and the best of the Chris Klieman era. Sustaining success is always a challenge in Manhattan, just ask Bill Snyder, who had a few duds during his legendary career. But the Cats have progressed nicely under Klieman winning at least eight games in three of his four seasons.
College Football Season Wins Odds
Regular Season Wins for the Kansas State Wildcats
Over 7.5 ( -161 )
Under 7.5 ( +145 )
The Wildcats have never been awful with only six losing seasons this century, not counting the shortened 2020 campaign. And in five of those the team won five games, so they’ve been on the verge nearly every year. A national championship winning coach at FCS North Dakota State, Klieman preaches fundamentals and has had all kinds of success making the OVER on the projected win total of 7.5 look appealing.
Roster
Coaches always preach balance in their offensive attack, however few rarely attain it. While the group wasn’t spectacular last season finishing sixth in the Big 12 with averages of 418.8 yards and 32.3 points, they were incredibly balanced. The Cats totaled 2,916 yards on the ground to place second in the conference with an average of 208.3. They also amassed 2,947 passing yards.
After splitting time with Adrian Martinez last year, Will Howard has the QB gig all to himself in 2023. Taking a team to the conference title game and winning it has that affect. Howard displayed championship form when taking over leading the Cats to the Big 12 crown. He threw for 1,633 yards and 15 TDs in seven games and limited mistakes by tossing just four picks. There were some growing pains but Klieman’s willingness to stick with Howard was a confidence boost. At 6-5 and around 250 bills, Howard is a big man with sneaky mobility and strong arm.
The passing game might open up with 2022 leading rusher Deuce Vaughn out of the picture. A workhorse back with nearly 1,600 rushing yards, Vaughn was also a valuable receiver adding another 378 yards and three TDs on 42 receptions. DJ Giddens is the top returning rusher with 518 yards and six scores. Florida State transfer Treshaun Ward could see plenty reps. With an inexperienced group of receivers we could see the Cats stick to the ground game since they were so good last year, And the line that opened holes for Vaughn returns intact. While they won’t be worse than last season, the offense has people in place to be a heck of a lot better.
Just like their offense, K-State was effective not flashy stopping opponents. The group ranked fourth in the Big 12 allowing 375.1 yards, and was especially good against the pass giving up 224.4 yards per game with opponents completing less than 59 percent of their throws. And their 16 picks were the second-most in the conference. The secondary lost several key players with a possible regression in 2023. Kobe Savage will anchor the group, but overall it’s young and inexperienced.
Schedule
The Cats have some advantages on their side when it comes to the schedule. First, they get five of their nine Big 12 matches at home and they don’t even leave the state for the final three with Baylor and Iowa State at home sandwiched around a trip to the rival Jayhawks. They also avoid what is expected to be a much improved Oklahoma squad. One thing that concerns me is K-State’s history of screwing up one non-conference game like their loss to G5 Tulane last year. And going 7-2 in Big 12 games isn’t a certainty since the league has gotten better. But, they’ve won eight games in each of their full three seasons under Klieman.
Prediction
There are some key pieces that need to be replaced in the secondary and in the backfield, but overall the club has more than enough depth to make up for the losses. The Cats play smart, aggressive football allowing them to succeed more times than not in close games and I like their chances of winning at least eight games and possibly more if things go their way.
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