By Jason Fleck
Kansas State is now only two wins away from playing in their first ever National Championship Game. After Alabama was taken down by the Texas A&M Aggies, Kansas State now holds its own destiny. All that stands in their way is the Baylor Bears this weekend and the suddenly hot Texas Longhorns on December 1st in their final game of the regular season.
Kansas State’s road to the BCS title game will begin this weekend at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco. This weekend’s game against Baylor isn’t expected to be much of a test for Kansas State, with Baylor ranked number 9 in the Big 12 and going only 1-5 after starting the season off 3-0 – their only win coming against the only team worse than the Bears in the Big 12 this year, that Kansas team has yet to win a game in the Big 12.
Seeing those numbers one might think that Baylor has just been run over all year long, but that is far from the truth. They battled a No. 9 West Virginia team in a 70-63 shootout, then played strong game against the No. 25 ranked Texas Longhorns in another high scoring affair losing 56-50, and finally they held their own until the third quarter against the No. 12 ranked Sooners this past weekend.
The Wildcats have been one team that has handled the success very well this season; their consistent play has yet to waver. With their coach Bill Snyder at the helm, they haven’t been allowed to get away from their tenacity and execution. Snyder has done a good job of protecting his players and keeping them from difficult situations. All the players have had to do is show up and perform on the field. Having a coach that is there for the players has a profound effect on this football team. This Kansas State team has remained under the radar all year long and as the two biggest games of the season remain on their schedule, nothing is bound to change. Although they have now gained the attention of the nation and are expected to win, this team puts little stock into what others expect of them. They follow their own expectations.
Game info:
#1 KANSAS STATE vs. BAYLOR
SAT. NOV. 17 – 7:00PM / ESPN
FLOYD CASEY STADIUM