Most people know how good Kansas State could be this season. Those people include a Big 12 coach who's getting sick of them.
The Wildcats — ranked No. 22 in the HERO Sports' Top 100 Countdown — won nine games last year, their fourth season with at least nine wins in the last six years. Though they occasionally land a notable recruit, JUCO prospect or FBS transfer, Bill Snyder's team relies on under-the-radar talent that fits his do-your-job system.
This season Snyder returns a terrific dual-threat quarterback in Jesse Ertz, potential All-American offensive tackle Dalton Risner, rising defensive end Reggie Walker and a veteran-laden secondary. For folks in Manhattan, those pieces equal hope for a 10-win season and possible contention for a Big 12 championship. For their 2017 foes, it equals frustration.
“They just keep chugging along being a pain in the ass," an anonymous Big 12 coach told Athlon Sports.
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Another coach made a similar comment, pointing to their remarkable ability to find consistency despite personnel turnover, saying, "They do just enough to reinvent themselves every year based on their personnel to get the most out of what they have."
Kansas state opens the season at home against Central Arkansas on Saturday, Sept. 2. They host Baylor in the Big 12 opener on Sept. 30.
