Frontrunners

That wasn't supposed to be that easy.

Maybe the most dominating performance over a ranked team since our 2003 win over OU, this 55-14 win was unimaginable just a few hours ago.  We all predicted a close, hard fought game.  A battle of two men seeking to prove the nation they belong in the Heisman and National Title conversation.  A war between the grinding, clock controlling offense of the Wildcats vs. the blitzkrieging aerial showcase with the nation's most high flying trio.

What we got was that KState has proven they belong in the discussion as one of the nation's most elite teams.  Did you know KSU has more wins over Top 25 teams on the road (3), than ND, Florida, Oregon, and Alabama combined (2)?  That folks, is simply incredible to consider. 

Suddenly, Texas Tech @ home next week is now the most important game on the schedule.  Is that because it's the next one?  "By and large, it would appear so, yes." (Say that in your best Snyder voice).

Yes, the mighty cats (not little anymore, mind you) crushing the Mountaineers with a flick of a Collin Klein 20-yard TD strike set up their biggest (?) challenge of the season next week in Manhattan.  The road to the the Big XII title rests in the hands of Klein and Co., and a win on Saturday will go a long, long way in clinching it. 

It would allow KSU to take a loss somewhere within it's last four remaining games (not likely) and still win the conference.  Baylor, TCU, OSU, and Texas.  NOT that we're saying it will happen, but it is nice to hold a few tie-breakers in your back pocket as OU will likely continue to steamroll the BigXII.  

But never mind the conference.   There are bigger things coming for this team.  And it all starts next week. 

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Here is David Ubben's interview with Klein after the game.  You don't have to watch it to know Klein's answers, obviously.  In fact, you could watch it on mute and pretty much get it. 

Here he is talking with Harper.

And here's the post-game wrap up.

Klein led the way with a career-high seven touchdowns and 323 passing yards, scoring four times on the ground and throwing three touchdowns to just two incompletions on 21 attempts. He was slinging it well enough to lead Chris Harper to start calling his quarterback, "John" late in the game.

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The Kansas City star wasted no time posting about the big win.

No team in the country owns a better victory this season than Kansas State’s 24-19 Norman conquest, and the stronger Oklahoma becomes, the more the Wildcats are lifted.

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#redpants

Closing In On 7-0

I'm sure most of you have already visited KState's Collin Klein Heisman page, but if not, make sure you check it out.

"If there was such a thing as a Most Valuable Player award for college football, it might go to Kansas State senior quarterback Collin Klein. 

No player has better defined his team and its success over the past couple of seasons than Klein, whose rapid improvement has coincided with Kansas State's return to national prominence."

Chris Huston, Heisman Pundit

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Ok, stop what you're doing.  Go get a snack.  Turn off your phone.  Shut your office door. Turn off your montitor (after you click the link) ... and listen to this.

This is the College Football Podcast with Ivan Maisel.  Maisel interviews both David Ubben regarding the West Virginia game and visits with Mitch Sherman about the unique program and culture at KSU.

The 15-minutes of Mitch Sherman is pretty much the best commentary on KSU I've heard outside of Manhattan in a long time.  An absolute must listen.

"There is something clean and pure about this team. They are the ivory soap of college football." 

2)  And this is Mitch's very impressive read regarding Snyder's secret to recruiting success. A ton of great information and was well researched.  Well done Mr. Sherman (previously of the Omaha-World Herald).

Since 1990, he has won more games than every active Football Bowl Subdivision coach not named Mack Brown, Frank Beamer or Steve Spurrier. And Snyder took three years off before returning to the sideline in 2009.

This guy is my new favorite ESPN writer.  And here's my tweet to him about it.

3)  Mark Schlabach picks KSU as the "road dog" to upset West Virginia this week.  And, while the Mountaineers are a 2.5-point favorite, I have a hard time seeing this as a true upset.  KSU is the higher ranked team, with more impressive wins on it's resume and no losses.  But, no complaints. He's picking a KSU win and predicting Klein to jump to the front of the Heisman race.

4) Todd McShay picks KSU/WV as the 3rd biggest game of the weekend behind Florida / South Carolina and Alabama / Tennessee in his Drive to the National Championship for this week. (If the link just goes back to the video above, just wait a few moments after that video stops, and this one will play.)

He goes with West Virginia to "exploit KSU's secondary" and "get back in the national title hunt."  I don't think he'll be exploiting anything -- they may rack up some yards, but this defense has proven they are stingy in the red zone.

 I liked Mr. McShay better when he had Klein leading the
Heisman race and not picking us to lose.

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Thanks Eric Stonestreet -- this never ... gets ... old.  

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The Wichita Eagle chimes in on the Heisman implications of this week's game.

The senior dual-threat quarterback cares less about his stats than an offensive lineman. He values team success over individual achievements and relies on toughness, patience and his leadership to win games. Though he has thrown for 1,047 yards and seven touchdowns and rushed for 510 yards and 10 touchdowns, that’s not why voters like him.

He appeals to them as the “best player on the best team.” Many national experts have said no single player means more to his team than Klein, and they might be right. He isn’t flashy and he never says anything controversial, but he is always running for tough yards and making plays with the game on the line. 

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So let's make this the last post before Saturday's historic and season-making game of the year.

No score predictions, but I do have a good feeling that KSU has something special this season and just like Klein and Knott last week, and Landry and Stiles in Norman, one or two players is not enough to beat this team. Geno is good, and he will make some plays, but this is a bend, but don't break defense, and I think we're going to get the first INT of the year on Smith.

They will test the secondary early, and if Smith is hitting on all cylinders as he did against Baylor, we're in for a very difficult game. But if we can rattle him a bit early, create some defensive confusion, come out strong with some early touchdowns, and take the crowd of it, the Mountaineers in the face of oppostion at home will likely be in a state of shock (see OU), causing them to press even more, and create even more opportunities for our defense.

On paper, they flat out have not shown they have a defense that can stop KSU, and the two teams in the Big XII most likely to do it, ISU and OU, couldn't do it when it mattered in the 4th.  When Klein and Co. need to convert a third down, they have proven this year they have the players and execution to get the job done.

The pattern continues on Saturday.