Wildcats Move To #1 ...

... in the UPS Efficiency and Team Performance Index Rankings.

I love this UPS ranking system. I love UPS.  And man, do they love KSU.

You can listen to the embedded video where it's explained that Offense + Defense + Special Teams + Miscues + Winning Percentage create a metric to analyze all 120 teams and ranks them accordingly.  A score of 100 would be average, a score of 200 would be perfect.

This will never get old.

Using an advanced proprietary formula featuring offensive yards per play, defensive yards allowed per play, various special teams statistics, and a micro-index of miscues that rewards disciplined teams that don't turn the ball over, UPS has teamed with STATS LLC to normalize those numbers across all 120 FBS schools. From there, balance is measured for all of a team's individual units, with the final index weighted toward excellence in those areas and overall winning percentage.

It's clear to see why we are ranked so high:  we don't turn the ball over (#5 in Turnover Margin), we score a lot of points (11th in scoring offense), we don't give up a lot of points (#16 in Scoring Defense), we love our special teams (#1 in Punt Returns and #12 in Kickoff Returns), we and we don't get penalized.

And if that's not enough, we are #3 in the country in Sacks Allowed at a whopping .4 a game.  Simply amazing.
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#captioncontest

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Here's an article from SI.com regarding the jump to #1, but unfortunately, they merge Bruce Weber and Bill Snyder into "Bruce Snyder" at the beginning, which of course they haven't bothered to fix yet despite six seperate posted comments at the bottom of the article.

Kansas State actually ran 51 plays, but it averaged better than nine yards each snap in racking up 475 total yards, and its season mark of 7.26 yards per play is not only well above the FBS average of 5.78 yards, but nearly one full yard better than No. 2 Alabama (No. 1 in AP poll), which gains 6.34 per play.

By the way, we are in the Top 5 in the conference in every statistical category that's tracked by the NCAA except for Passing Offense (last), Total Offense (#7), and Pass Defense (#8).  But 2nd in the conference in Scoring Defense, which ultimately wins you football games, son.
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Not KSU related, but watch what happens prior to the South Carolina / Georgia game:

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Dry an eye ... it's KState Mask KU Wrap Up Video Time!

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The more I think on this, the more I'm going to be happy if Klein can just get himself to New York. It's going to be tough, and I mean, really tough, to knock Geno off his perch, even if KSU beats them in Morgantown.

It might make the race closer, but I don't know if the voters could ever award a Heisman to a player from Kansas State unless we are in the national title hunt and likely undefeated.  Yes I know Bishop was 2nd.  But he was 2nd BY A MILE.  And sure, Sproles was 5th (but closer to 8th than 4th).

With a 24 TD to 0 INT ratio already this season, AND the fact he probably does stand a chance to get drafted, Smith is going to walk away with this thing unless he suffers mightly at the hands of the KSU or OU defense.

Either way, CBS currently has Klein sitting at #3 and as long as he continues to do what he needs to do and wins, he'll be there the rest of the year.

"An upstart national title contending team..."

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Why aren't you on Twitter yet? 

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I've seen a lot of photos of this kid since Saturday, and thought I'd post two of the better ones here:

Speaking of social media you should also be using Instagram.

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Snyder turned 73 on Saturday and celebrated with a Doritos Loco Taco from the Bell.

In the Crosshairs: Iowa State

I do expect the hawks to put up a fight, though, and I think they will be able to sustain some drives against this defense. However, superior special teams, field position, and dominating OLine will pave the way for a big day for Hubert as Snyder plays it close to the vest and lets Klein drive the bus to another big Wildcat victory over Kansas. In the end, the Governors Cup will stay in Manhattan, where it's been since 2009, as the Cats pull away with a dominating 3rd quarter.

Whoever said this was, a genius, really.
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Things I learned today watching WV vs. UT, OU vs. Tech, and ISU vs. TCU:

1) West Virginia looks like a legitimate contender for the national title.

As much as I hate Texas, I didn't like seeing THIS new wrinkle in the WV offense.

If KSU didn't already have it's hands full in two weeks @ West Virginia with the Mountaineers and Heisman front runner Geno Smith, WV unleashed a healthy dose of #13 Andrew Buie on the Texas defense and it paid off big time.  31 attempts.  207 yards.  2 TD's.  And he tacked on 66 yards receiving on 3 receptions for good measure.

My theory is Brown likely had to pick his poison and tried his best to keep Geno under wraps through the air and the plan worked, marginally.  They did hold Smith to a season low in yards (268), completions (25), attempts (35), and 2nd lowest in completion % (71.4) ... but he still reeled off 4 TD's through the air. And he still got the win in a "hostile" environment.  And putting an emphasis on the air attack allowed #13 to go crazy, gashing the Longhorn defense for a cool 6.7 yards a carry.  More on these guys next week.

2) I learned absolutely nothing watching Tech play the Sooners.

No, I did learn one thing.  Tech doesn't really know who their playmakers are.  Doege threw the ball to ELEVEN different recievers. 11.  FIVE different backs ran the ball, including Doege for -18 yards (sacks).  That's 17 different players on offense making plays.  How did that work out for them?  Three INT's and zero TD's through the air, and exactly 89 yards and 2.2 ypc on the ground.

 3) TCU, like any other team that plays Iowa State, completely overlooked them.  And, TCU, without Pachall, will be average this season.

Losing their QB to a DWI and his indefinite suspension sent shockwaves through their program and I'm sure shifting gears midway through the week to freshman Trevone Boykin was difficult.  Boykin played admirably, w/ 270 yards through the air and a TD.  But he also threw 3 INT's, one taken back for a TD by the opportunistic Cyclones late in the game to seal it.

You aren't surprising anyone next week Clones.

Opportunistic you say?  They hit on a 51 yard TD and a 74 yard TD -  both in the first quarter.  Their leading WR even threw for a TD.   How?  TCU was asleep.  Why?  Because ISU is IMPOSSIBLE to get up for.  No one, and I mean no one, can get excited about playing Iowa State.  They are the single most boring team in the conference.  Even KU gets teams blood boiling more than the Cyclones.  Well, at least mine.

So what happens?  You tell your team all week, hey these guys can make plays.  They upset ranked teams.  They play sound football.  They don't turn it over.  They don't make mistakes.  They have a hell of an athlete at QB. They have some fast guys at WR and a good line on both sides of the ball.  HEY, is anyone listening here?

No, they aren't listening.  They are tweeting their friends about next week's game against Baylor and how they are hoping their star QB will suit up next week even though he's suspended and that we already beat a BigXII "north" team on their home turf so what could we possibly have to worry about at home in our shiny new stadium?

You've got to worry about a hell of a lot of motivated 2-star guys out-playing you while you nap on the sidelines. Your FBS-leading 12 game winning streak gets snapped because you aren't paying attention.  And you wonder why you slept through the film session on stopping a bunch of white guys from North Dakota.
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This week, you're in the crosshairs Iowa State.  Your little win @ TCU may serve you well this week, but it was just about the last thing you needed in preparing for KSU.  Now, any chance you would have had at "surprising another top ranked team" went out the door with this shot fired across Snyder's bow.

We know, we know.  It serves notice you're a team to be reckoned with. It's instant credibility for a team desperate to be taken seriously. But, unfortunately for you this season, you've played your hand too early.  Sure, you've played KSU close the past few years.  A one-point loss in 2009, a seven-point loss in 2010, and a seven-point loss in 2011 can't sit well within the disrespected walls of Jack Trice Stadium.

But it won't matter. Shouts, tweets, message board chattering, facebook updates, etc. about this being "your" year will echo across the ISU campus this week and I'm sure you're excited to get back out there and prove this week wasn't a fluke.

However, you're aren't playing a freshman QB in his first start against a BigXII defense.  You aren't playing a team that's going to give up 75-yard TD bombs.  You aren't playing a team that will look ahead to it's next opponent.  You aren't playing a team with 0 credible wins on its schedule (TCU has wins over Grambling State, Kansas, Virginia -- who just got crushed by Duke this week 42-17, aaaaand SMU.)  That's a pile of nothing right there, folks.

Not a freshman QB.

No, Iowa State, you're going to have your hands full with the little Wildcats this next weekend in blustry Ames.  It's going to be fairly apparent pretty quick the Cats know this is Purple Koolaid's (and GoPowercat's) pick for the 2012 TRAP GAME, and they'll be fully prepared for it.  

More to come this week as we continue to break down the Cyclones and a huge matchup for KSU as they eye moving into the Top 5.

#jayhawksarentevenreal