Tradition Sports Online released every team ranking for this year’s NCAA Football at E3, and Kansas State has received an overall rating of 86. This includes a 91 on offense and 83 on defense. The top 15 rated players have also been released, although no Wildcat made the list, meaning we’ll have to wait to see how the units are rated individually.
While it’s hard to put too much stock in a video game, EA works hard to mimic a suggestive representation of the real world. It should be noted that last year K-State had an overall rating of 91, with a 92 on offense and 86 on defense (although we eventually learned that that defense was every bit as dangerous). Last year’s game looked down on K-State’s receiving corps with no faith in Tyler Lockett, while also viewing the secondary as a weakness and the defensive line as mediocre (tell that to Landry Jones).
It’s hard to rate K-State’s defense given the lack of returning experience, so it’s easy to imagine the unit outperforming expectations while still not faulting EA for erring on the side of caution. The offense is expected to be just as potent as last year, implying a strong belief in the returning offensive line, John Hubert, and the receiving corps, while not envisioning much drop-off following the departure of Collin Klein.
Three other things to keep in mind here: special teams are listed out, but these would prove difficult to rank. With Tramaine Thompson and Tyler Lockett this may be the most dangerous return team in the nation on both punts and kickoffs. With both kicker Anthony Cantele and punter Ryan Doerr graduating this year, little is known about the kicking game. Finally, you should consider that the real-life K-State team automatically gets an additional two points in the ratings system by stepping out onto the field – because no one can outcoach Bill Snyder.
Click here to view the scores of every team this year.