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For our third installment of the 100 day countdown to kickoff against North Dakota State University, the number 98 represents the most heartbreaking season K-State fans have ever experienced. 1998 was the most tantalizingly close the Wildcats have ever come to the national championship game – even closer than the 2012 season that saw the team start the season 10-0 and reach number in the BCS before faceplanting against Baylor, 24-52.

K-State came into the 1998 season hungry and primed for a run at the national championship. The prior year they finished the regular season 10-1, with the squad’s only loss to eventual national champion Nebraska at Lincoln. They finished the season 11-1 after soundly defeating Donovan McNab’s Syracuse team in the Fiesta Bowl, 35-18.

The 1998 squad came into the season ranked #6 in the country and popped off two easy nonconference victories – 66-0 against Indiana State and 73-7 against Northern Illinois. They then hosted a Texas team that finished #15 in the nation, and beat the Longhorns 48-7 in Manhattan. Other notable victories were a 16-9 triumph at then-#14 Colorado and 31-25 at #21 Missouri. However, none of those games where as important the November 14th showdown at KSU Stadium against Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers had soundly defeated Bill Snyder the year before and owned a 29 game win streak against the Wildcats. Yet K-State had ascended to #1 in the country after the previous week’s victory over Baylor, was at home, and ready for revenge against #11 Nebraska. A controversial no-call late in the game allowed K-State to get away with an obvious facemask by K-State’s Travis Ochs, but the team was destined to take the game either way as Michael Bishop led the Wildcats to a 40-30 victory.

The Wildcats entered the Big 12 conference championship game with an 11-0 record, including an 8-0 standing in the Big 12, and a #1 ranking in the Coaches Poll. However, they were #3 in the BCS behind #1 Tennessee and #2 UCLA and in need of assistance to reach the national title game. Yet a UCLA loss earlier in the afternoon meant one thing to K-State’s football players: win, and you’re in. The opponent was a 10-2 Texas A&M team ranked #10 in the Coaches and AP poll and #8 in the BCS.

Oct 6, 2012; Manhattan, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Collin Klein (7) makes a pass during a 56-16 win over the Kansas Jayhawks at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

I have been a Kansas State Wildcat fan all my life.  I was born in 1983 and really began becoming a sports fan in the early Nineties.  So pretty much my entire life, the Sunflower Showdown pitting the Kansas State Wildcats against the Kansas Jayhawks pretty much means one thing: If it’s football it’s a win for K-State, if it’s basketball it’s a win for KU.  I am sure you have heard this response, “Wait until basketball/football season!”  I am not proud, but I have issued that response to Jayhawk fans before.  My question, which I hope will strike up talk in the comments section, is this: Would you fellow Wildcat fans, trade dominance in football to be more competitive in basketball?

To further understand the question, let’s look back at the problem.  Let’s look back the past twenty or so years.  In football, the Wildcats have beaten the Jayhawks 16 out 20 matchups, including an eleven-year run that started in 1993 and ended in 2004.  By the way, three of those four losses where during the beloved Ron Prince Era…  In basketball, (we all know where this is heading, sorry guys….) the last 50 matchups of the Sunflower Showdown, the Hawks are 47-3 against the Cats.  This included a stretch of 31 games from 1994 to 2005.  Ouch.

The “Bill Effect” is something strongly to consider to the lopsidedness of both sides of this series.  Bill Snyder and Bill Self are both widely recognized as two of the best collegiate coaches in the nation.  Both of these two men stress the meaning of beating their in-state rivals.  Let’s look at what these two have done against the opposing school.  Coach Snyder is 17-4 against the Jayhawks, losing 3 out 4 games when he first took over and was rebuilding the program.  Coach Self is currently 22-3 against the Wildcats.  In Frank Martin’s tenure, the rivalry in basketball peaked; grabbing two of those victories against Self, but Martin still went 2-9 against the Hawks.  In comparison, former Kansas football coach Mark Mangino went 4-4 against the Wildcats, including one win against Bill Snyder towards the end of his first tenure.

Consider this, if the games were divided evenly in their respected sports, would you be willing to lose some of that team’s prominence?  K-State has dominated the football series while becoming a football powerhouse in the Big 12 under Snyder.  KU has owned the series while owning the league the two decades years.  If these two leveled off would it change?  Would you trade some of those football wins if that meant a more middle of the pack football team?  I don’t think so, and I may have just answered my own question.  Something for us to consider when debating this quandary.  So fellow Wildcat fans, I want to hear your thoughts?  Would you trade football wins for a few basketball victories?

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For our second installment of the 100 day countdown to kickoff against North Dakota State University, the number 99 represents the Scouts.com ranking of K-State’s 2010 recruiting class. That’s right, for a squad that’s been in contention for a BCS bowl the past two years (including a spot in the Fiesta Bowl last year), this year’s class of (mostly) outgoing seniors was worth a sniff from the national media.

This sort of disregard is something K-State fans have become used to, but also vastly overlooks the talent of that class. Among the most prominent members was JUCO transfer Adam Davis, who combined with MeShak Williams to form one of the NCAA’s best defensive end duos. Javonta Boyd and Ray Kibble – a couple of 300 pound DT menaces that kept blockers busy and off of Davis and Williams – were also part of that class. In all, they helped formed one of the more dominant defensive lines Bill Snyder has put together in Manhattan.

In addition to the junior college transfers, this class included multiple high school players looking to shine this year. Ty Zimmerman returns to lead the defense after recording five interceptions and being named an All American last year despite missing the final two games with a lower leg injury. Tre Walker also returns from injury to head the linebacking unit and should help return this group to prominence after being a three start recruit out of high school.
-Note: Ty Zimmerman technically came to K-State’s campus in 2009, but did not officially join the team or take a scholarship until 2010. While part of the 2010 class in terms of joining the team, he was not necessarily considered a part of this recruiting class.

On the offensive side of the ball, Curry Sexton and Kyle Klein will both look to find significant playing time as the #3 and #4 wide receivers. Sexton had 75 yards on seven catches last year and caught one touchdown pass. That throw came from Kyle’s older brother – Collin Klein – who also came to K-State as a wide receiver no one outside of this coaching staff gave much credit. Also catching balls from this class will be new starting tight end Zach Trujillo who had two receptions last year – including a 58 yard pass – and received significant playing time as a blocking tight end.

Several other players from this recruiting class will be looking to step up in 2013 as well, and we’ll have to wait to see precisely how the depth chart shakes out. And although this may not be the most star-studded recruiting class this school has ever seen, several of the players already are or will soon be commonly known names across the state. This school is one of the nation’s best at both identifying and maximizing talent, and the nation’s 99th best recruiting class in the nation is out to prove that fact once more.

Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday we looked briefly at some of the players that have had the biggest impact on K-State since the Big 12 was established in 1994. Today we’d like to open it up to you, the reader, in helping to determine the greatest Wildcat over the past two decades.

While it’s tricky to determine who should and shouldn’t make the cut, we’ve come up with five very solid options. Three of the players were/are coveted by NFL teams (LB Arthur Brown, QB Josh Freeman, and RB Darren Sproles). The other two (QB Michael Bishop and QB Collin Klein) found trouble trying to translate their ability to run the option to perfection into the NFL, but both placed within the top three in Heisman voting their final year and led their teams to top ten BCS rankings.

So here are your options for the top five. And if you don’t like the list, click ‘other’ and say something in the discussion thread below. Additionally, if you’re having trouble deciding, head back over to yesterday’s article for a brief recap of what each player brought to the table when they suited up in the white and purple. (Find that blog post here.)

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Capitalizing on its historic year that brought a Big 12 regular season championship and top seed in the conference tournament set to start play tomorrow, several Kansas State Wildcats were honored yesterday for their contributions to the team’s success. Among the honorees were a conference player of the year, scholar of the year, seven first team players, one honorable mention, and two named to the All-Freshman team.

Taking home the day’s highest honor was IF Ross Kivett, who was recognized as the 2013 Big 12 Player of the Year. Kivett batted .353 this season while knocking in 24 RBIs, 12 doubles, and four triples to go along with 24 stolen bases. Although Kivett played well all year, he truly stepped up his game once conference season got underway and hit .376 in Big 12 play.

Also receiving an individual accolade was Jared King – a preseason Gold Spikes award watch list honoree and The Jug’s predicted team MVP. King shared co-scholar-athlete of the year honors with TCU’s Jantzen Witte – the first year the award has been presented. In addition to being named to the All-Conference First Team, the outfielder batted .342 on the season while maintaining a 3.52 GPA in the classroom.

Continuing the parade of hardware awarded to the Wildcat baseball team, relief pitcher Jake Matthys was named the Big 12′s freshman of the year. Matthys went 8-0 on the season, including a 5-0 record in conference play. He turned in an ERA of 2.01 in 28 appearances and also recorded six saves.

Topping off the player awards, coach Brad Hill was also honored yesterday. K-State’s coach led the team to its first ever Big 12 championship with an overall record of 39-16 while going 16-8 in league play.

Seven Wildcats were named First-Team All-Conference: sophomore IF Shane Conlon, sophomore IF Austin Fisher, Kivett, senior C Blair DeBord, King, senior utility man Tanner Witt, and P Matthys.

Senior OF Jon Davis was awarded an honorable mention. Pitchers Matthys and Levi MaVorhis were also named to the conference’s All-Freshman Team.

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

That’s right folks, 100 days from now the Kansas State Wildcats will be facing off against the North Dakota State Bison on August 30 to kick off the 2013 football season. There’s as much excitement as there is trepidation coming into this year. Gone are Arthur Brown and almost all the other defensive starters, Heisman contender Collin Klein, and Chris Harper and Braden Wilson who were both selected in the NFL draft, as well as All-Conference special teams selections kicker Anthony Cantele and punter Ryan Doerr.

However, the team returns every member of the best offensive line in the league, All-American safety Ty Zimmerman, and one of the league’s best backs in John Hubert – not to mention an all-star wide receiver duo highlighted by Tyler Lockett. The linebacking unit is also expected to be stellar and the quarterback situation is merely a problem of picking the better of two excellent players in Daniel Sams and Jake Waters.

So where does K-State stand coming into the season? The majority of media pick the Wildcats to be in the thick of what should be a five-team horserace for the Big 12 crown – five of the conference’s teams are ranked between 10 and 25. And in 100 days everyone should look for a potential upset opening night as K-State has a bad habit of falling asleep at the wheel in home openers against lower division competition, while North Dakota State is one team you don’t want to sleep on.

As such, I’ve included the team’s schedule below and ranked on a scale of 1-5 my degree of confidence in the team’s ability to win.

08/30/13	vs. North Dakota State	Manhattan, Kan.	4
09/07/13	vs. Louisiana-Lafayette	Manhattan, Kan.	5
09/14/13	vs. Massachusetts	Manhattan, Kan.	5
09/21/13	at Texas *	Austin, Texas	2
10/05/13	at Oklahoma State *	Stillwater, Okla.	2
10/12/13	vs. Baylor *	Manhattan, Kan.	3
10/26/13	vs. West Virginia *	Manhattan, Kan.	4
11/02/13	vs. Iowa State *	Manhattan, Kan.	4
11/09/13	at Texas Tech *	Lubbock, Texas	4
11/16/13	vs. TCU *	Manhattan, Kan.	2
11/23/13	vs. Oklahoma *	Manhattan, Kan.	3
11/30/13	at Kansas *	Lawrence, Kan.	5

If I could see one game and one game only this year, I’d go with TCU in Manhattan. However, every game should be a battle this year and I can’t wait to get this show on the row. So how about it, Wildcat fanatics – any games on the schedule that particularly scare you? Am I too worried about some of these match ups?

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Due to the horrific natural disaster in Moore, Oklahoma, the Big 12 has postponed its baseball tournament by a day and altered the format to better accomodate the response to the tornado that slammed the region earlier this week. Oklahoma City, which neighbors Moore, will still host the event which is now scheduled to begin on Thursday.

To accomodate the change, the league has changed the tournament from its previous double-elimination format. Teams will still be divided into two pools, with the team managing the top record in each pool moving on to the championship game on Sunday. K-State’s new schedule:

• vs. #8 seed Texas Tech on Thursday (the Wildcats took the season series against Tech 3-0)
• vs. #5 seed Baylor on Friday (the Wildcats lost two of three games to Baylor, including a 13 inning, 10-8 loss)
• vs. #4 seed Oklahoma on Saturday (the Wildcats took two of three games against Oklahoma to secure the Big 12 championship last weekend)

In pool two are #2 Oklahoma State, #3 West Virginia, #6 Kansas, and #7 TCU. Each game will be played at 12:30, with championship set to start at 1 p.m. on Sunday. All games will be played at Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. The Wildcats are coming off their first Big 12 baseball championship and first conference baseball title of any sort since 1933.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

David Ubben recently profiled his top ten Big 12 football players of all time, and as most fans expected it was largely a Texas/Oklahoma lovefest (big money athletic departments do, after all, get the big money recruits). I was hopeful that at least one Wildcat would land on the list, but alas K-State was completely overlooked for the list. Which begs the question – what Wildcat in the Big 12 era is the most deserving to be listed among the top ten players in conference history? Here are my candidates:

Darren Sproles

Sproles is among the most accomplished Wildcats in the NFL to-date. After serving as LaDainian Tomlinson’s backup and return man for several years in San Diego, he moved to New Orleans and became one of the most explosive weapons in the league while serving the most dangerous offense in the NFL. Sproles was an absolute star in the 2003 Big 12 Championship game, running all over an undefeated Oklahoma team which including a 60-yard reception en route to a 35-7 victory. During his time in Manhattan, Sproles accumulated just under 5,000 yards rushing. He averaged 6.1 yards per carry and punched in 45 touchdowns during his time on campus.

Josh Freeman

In a list of three stellar quarterbacks, Freeman collected the fewest accolades. However, it’s dangerous to believe this is a reflection on his abilities. Freeman came of age during the Ron Prince era when coaching was lacking, and, let’s be honest, Bill Snyder left a pretty barren cabinet in the mid-2000s. However, before he was a starting NFL quarterback for Tampa Bay, Freeman carried the team on his back at times during three seasons before leaving early for the draft. He accumulated a 125 passer rating (136 his junior year) and threw for 34 touchdowns while rushing for another 20 over 35 games. He was drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft.

Arthur Brown

Brown has a couple issues working against him, the first of which is he didn’t start his college career as a Wildcat, transferring from Miami to K-State and only serving two years on the team. However, he was once of the most ferocious defenders to ever fill K-State’s linebacker position (who else – Ben Leber? Mark Simoneau?). As a conference defensive player of the year, he enjoyed two incredible seasons on campus. As a junior Brown registered 95 tackles, two sacks and one interception. He followed that performance up with a senior year performance of 91 tackles, two interceptions, six tackles for loss and one sack.

Michael Bishop

Bishop provided fans with a tremendous amount of exciting talent without the decision-making abilities to succeed at the next level. The Blinn Junior College transfer came to Manhattan after Bill Snyder was the only coach to offer him the opportunity to play quarterback (everyone else wanted him at defensive back). He started all 25 games during his two years in Manhattan while compiling a 22-3 record. He finished fourth all-time on the team in passing with 4,401 yards and ranked second all-time behind Lynn Dickey with 5,715 total yards of offense. He finished second in Heisman voting to Texas’s Ricky Williams.

Collin Klein

If you’re reading this blog, I’m going out on a limb and guessing you’re a fan of K-State football. Or you at least have an inkling of what happened in NCAA football this year. Which means you know the magical run he had. And if you think anyone has been more valuable to their Big 12 team save maybe Vince Young or RGIII, you’re insane. The briefest of synopses: third in Heisman voting, led team to Big 12 Championship and berth in the Cotton and Fiesta Bowls, 4,573 yards throwing, 2,455 yards rushing over his career while accounting for 85 touchdowns for K-State.

Honorable mentions

Terence Newman, Daniel Thomas, any Lockett to ever suit up

So, EMAW fanatics, whose your pick for greatest Wildcat in the Big 12? And were they robbed a spot in the list of top 10 best Big 12 players?

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas State Wildcats, having earned their first baseball championship in Big 12 conference history, will enjoy the fruits of their labors this week in assuming the top seed of the league tournament this Wednesday through Saturday. They will be paired with the #8 Texas Tech Red Raiders in the first game of the tournament.

The Wildcats (39-16, 16-8) finished well ahead of second seed Oklahoma State (13-10) while finishing first in the league and fourth in the nation in batting average. They will face a Texas Tech team they swept at home during the regular season, winning 6-5, 15-2, and 12-2 (8 innings). Also in K-State’s division of the bracket are #4 Oklahoma and #5 Baylor.

On the other side of the bracket, #2 Oklahoma State faces #7 TCU and #3 West Virginia will take on #6 Kansas. The winner of each bracket will engage in a best of three playoff, with the league champion to be crowned on Sunday, May 26. The tournament champion will win an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, although with K-State’s overall record and top 25 national ranking, the Wildcats should be assured a bid regardless of the tournament’s outcome.

The Wildcat baseball team made history for several reasons this year, not the least of which being it took home a conference crown for the first time since 1933. They also helped K-State take home a triple crown in securing the regular season football, basketball, and football championships (the only other team to do this in Big 12 history was Texas).

Following conference realignment last year the Big 12 moved to an eight team format, and the Texas Longhorns were the odd man out this year. Texas finished the season 7-17 and ninth in league play, good enough for last in the league and outside the tournament. Iowa State does not field a college baseball squad.

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

The Wildcats fell to Oklahoma 7-3 to finish their regular season on Sunday afternoon, but not before downing the Sooners twice this weekend to claim the Big 12 Championship. Kansas State completed a season for the ages with a 39-16 record while finishing 16-8 in league play and securing the top seed in the Big 12 tournament.

The Sooners held the Wildcat offense in check for the entire three game series in a pattern of stranded base runners that has plagued the team all year. Although K-State is fourth in the NCAA with a .321 team batting average, they are 48th in runs per game due to the inability to capitalize on opportunities. Similarly, the Wildcats outhit the Sooners 14-7 on Sunday but managed only three runs to Oklahoma’s seven due to 13 stranded baserunners. Another theme – lack of power – was also on display as Oklahoma managed two home runs in the game to zero for K-State.

K-State took the first game on Friday 6-5 to secure a share of the Big 12 championship, and locked up sole possession on Saturday with a 5-2 victory, relying on its pitching to keep a sputtering Oklahoma offense in check. They will face #8 seed Texas Tech on Wednesday in the first round of the Big 12′s double elimination tournament.