The Kansas State Wildcats finished last season 11-4 in the Big XII, a record that the majority of teams around the nation would giggle about. The team didn’t play as well as expected in the beginning of the season and had to come on strong to finish in a BCS bowl game. The Wildcats represented the North in the Big XII title game against the #1 Oklahoma Sooners. The Wildcats pulled the upset and defeated the mighty Sooners to get into the Fiesta Bowl where they lost 35-28 to the Ohio State Buckeyes. The team still has Darren Sproles, a running back that could make a run at the Heisman Trophy, and the experience of winning close games late and will appear at #11 in my pre-season poll.

Dylan Meier is a sophomore who will likely play QB for the Wildcats for the departed Ell Roberson. Meier will likely struggle early but has one of the best running backs in the nation behind him to take the pressure off. Meier will still need to make enough big plays during the season to keep defenses from ganging up on Sproles in the box. Sproles finished last season fifth in the Heisman voting and now holds the K-State single season and career rushing records. Sproles lost his mother six days before the spring game and will be dedicating this season to her memory, so he could end up with even more motivation then expected in 2004. Sproles knows that he’ll be responsible for carrying a young and inexperienced offensive unit on his shoulders deep into the season while the rest of the players get accustomed to the speed of the league. The defense of the Wildcats lost seven starters from last season but should have enough depth to cover their losses. Cornerback Cedrick Williams and linebacker Marvin Simmons will likely play big roles in the defensive schemes of Coach Bill Snyder and the team’s overall success might hinge on the success of these two aggressive defenders.

The Wildcats will need to find a way to replace everything that Ell Roberson was to this team as well. Roberson was the senior signal caller that could lead his team with his arm, his leg, and his heart. He was also huge in the team’s victory over Oklahoma, and the fallout from his departure might be witnessed on October 16 when the two teams meet up again in Manhattan. That came is followed by home games against Nebraska and Texas Tech, a key stretch that might determine if this K-State team is a contender or a pretender. The Wildcats have been known to play “cupcakes” in previous non-conference matchups but this year’s non-conference schedule is much tougher with games against Western Kentucky and Fresno State. The team will finish with road games at Missouri and Colorado before concluding the season at home to Iowa State. They’re the favorites in the North division of the Big XII and could be in the picture when it comes to the national championship in 2004.

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