71 Days To K-State Football: The Oklahoma Sooners Series

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Continuing our march to kick-off against North Dakota State, today we are 71 days from football, with our daily tie-in being the number of losses K-State has suffered against Oklahoma, the most of any team in the Big 12. And while the Wildcats’ resurgence has made the teams more even on the football field, the program has some serious ground to make up with an overall record of 18-71-4 against the Sooners, a .215 success rate. And while the overall series leader will probably be the same in 2113, K-State has done more to narrow the gap since the formation of the Big 12 since the Great Depression.

K-State officially joined the Big 8 in 1913 with an existing 0-1 record against Oklahoma and also lost its first two conference games against the Sooners. However, the Wildcats strung together six wins and three ties over the next ten games and took a 6-4-3 series lead. However, the school struggled mightily after that and aside from a two-game win streak in 1969-1970, K-State didn’t secure another win from 1935-1992. That’s a lot of losses.

1993 was THE big year for K-State, as Bill Snyder took the team to his first bowl experience (a Copper Bowl victory) while going 9-2-1. However, 1992 marked the first time in over 20 years the school was able to break through and defeat Oklahoma. This set off a string of five successive victories against the Sooners (including their first two games as Big 12 opponents) during a string of seasons in the mid-90s that saw K-State dominate teams across the nation.

Following four defeats, the next victory was a memorable one – a 35-7 pasting in the 2003 Big 12 Championship game. Yet the Wildcats would not secure another season victory against Oklahoma in the aughts, going 1-7 (including the 2000 Big 12 Championship – a 27-24 loss). They finally ended the streak last year, when Snyder left Norman, OK with a 24-19 triumph.

The point of this entry isn’t to point out how low K-State’s been compared to the juggernaut immediately south of us, but how far we’ve come: from being dubbed Futility U in the 80s to a team that scares the bejeezus out of one of the most storied programs in college football history. It’s also to make something clear: I expect to continue the win streak to improve to 2-0 this year. Oklahoma has to come to Manhattan, where it’ll be showcasing an unproven quarterback throwing to unproven wide receivers. Additionally, Oklahoma lost almost as much as K-State did defensively, and as I stated yesterday, I’m not entirely convinced K-State doesn’t have the depth to pick up where it left off.

In short, looking at the overall series record against Oklahoma sucks. It’s a lot more pleasant to stare at if you start in the Bill Snyder era. And I expect a downright pleasant picture going forward.

To continue working backwards in our countdown, visit Day 72, where we inject a little optimism to the discussion of K-State’s returning defensive depth.

Note: The Jug’s most despised opponent, Nebraska, has 77 victories against K-State. However, following the Cornhuskers’ jump to the Big 104, we don’t have to focus on this series anymore.