It’s time for another Football Friday. Thanks again for all the questions. Let’s get right to them:
@KellisRobinett now that it appears the schedule works in #kstate favor, what is your prediction for final record? 6-6?
— Mike Rouse (@Turnksu) October 17, 2013
I think K-State’s final record will be 6-6. This is a team that has held a fourth-quarter lead in five of its games. This is a team that came close to pulling off upsets against ranked teams in back-to-back weeks. This is a team that isn’t far away from 4-2 or even 5-1. I think the Wildcats are getting better and will finish the season much stronger than they started it.
But they also haven’t won a close game yet, which is sometimes the hardest thing for young teams to learn how to do. So it’s not like a bowl game is assured. Best case, I see the Wildcats finishing 7-5. Worst case, I see 4-8.
Anything could happen. For fun, let’s breakdown the remaining schedule.
Vs. West Virginia: K-State should be favored in this one, come out with something to prove and win. Though the Mountaineers own an impressive win over Oklahoma State, they have been awful on the road.
Vs. Iowa State: The Cyclones aren’t winning, but Paul Rhoads has them playing well. All four of their losses have come by eight points or less. Expect a close game, like they always are in this series, but there’s a reason why K-State has beaten Iowa State five straight times. The Wildcats should win this game, too.
At Texas Tech: This looks like the hardest remaining game on the schedule. Everyone says the Red Raiders are overrated, but I’m not sure why. They have won five of their six games by double digits, and Lubbock is a hard place to play. K-State could win there, but you can’t expect it.
Vs. TCU: This one will be a toss-up. TCU is 3-3 and doesn’t look like anything special, but its losses have come to LSU, Texas Tech and Oklahoma away from home. It’s hard to tell how good the Frogs are right now.
Vs. Oklahoma: I get the feeling most would consider this a probable OU victory, but the Sooners didn’t look good against Texas.
At Kansas: The Wildcats have won the last three games in this series 59-7, 59-21 and 56-16. There’s no reason to expect anything other than another K-State victory.
The next two games, at home against West Virginia and Iowa State, will be telling. K-State needs to win them both to set the tone for the rest of the season. At 4-4, the Wildcats will be in good shape to reach bowl eligibility. At 3-5 or worse, their margin for error disappears.
@KellisRobinett Is there any reason to be excited for this basketball season?
— Troubled Scribe (@TroubledScribe) October 18, 2013
Of course. Shane Southwell could be one of the top 10 players in the Big 12. Marcus Foster could be one of the top freshman in the Big 12. And Thomas Gipson can dunk now that he is down to 265 pounds. The Wildcats will be more athletic than they have been in year’s past, and that could make for an exciting style of play. In a weak Big 12, it’s not hard to envision them finishing in the upper half of the standings.
This also intrigues me.
That being said, I understand the question. There doesn’t seem to be much excitement around K-State basketball right now. Without Angel Rodriguez and Rodney McGruder, most are projecting it to reach the NIT. This will be a young, small team that lacks a proven point guard and needs more scorers. Questions abound. Still, K-State received votes in the preseason USA Today poll. That’s better than most teams.
@KellisRobinett what is more likely, Cats in the NCAA Tourney or Cats with 7 wins
— Scott (@ST_McFarland) October 18, 2013
Great question. I could see both happening. I could see neither happening. I guess I will go with seven wins in football. Daniel Sams is improving and the defense has shown significant signs of progress lately. All we’ve seen from the basketball team is a short scrimmage.
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E-mail: krobinett@wichitaeagle.com
Twitter: @KellisRobinett