People may get tired of me saying how good we will be in 2017 but I'm not the only one predicting this. The Washington Post agrees:
Those closest to the program believe things are lining up for Snyder to contend for one more conference title, and just maybe, force their way into the College Football Playoff and make another run at a national championship.
Knocking off the Aggies on Dec. 28 would serve as a catapult toward those lofty aspirations, sending a Kansas State team filled with underclassmen into the offseason on a high note.
“Next year is next year,” Snyder said, “but surely it could. Hopefully that would be the case. As I’ve said every year, each year has totally different dynamics than previous years. It’s one step at a time. More often than not, the previous year and how things play out is not necessarily a good indicator of where the next team is going to go.”
“Everything that we’ve accomplished so far, it was not expected of us,” Kansas State linebacker Trent Tanking explained. “We could go from the team that was considered young and inexperienced to the team that finished the season strong.”
Not to mention the team that is poised for bigger things next season.
Start with the offense, where the only starters who will be lost to graduation are offensive lineman Terrale Johnson, wide receiver Deante Burton and running back Charles Jones. All of them have backups who have played considerably this season, which should smooth their departure.
Their big playmakers are all due back: quarterback Jesse Ertz, running backs Alex Barnes and Justin Silmon, wide receiver Byron Pringle and tight end Dayton Valentine.
Defensively, the Wildcats will lose stalwart defensive end Jordan Willis, veteran safety Dante Barnett and three other starters. But similar to the offense, their backups played meaningful snaps, and two freshmen starters will have a year of seasoning.
Then there is the schedule itself.
The nonconference includes home games against Central Arkansas and Charlotte sandwiched around a trip to Vanderbilt, giving the Wildcats a chance to get off to a good start. The Big 12 slate sends most of the elite teams, including Oklahoma, West Virginia and Baylor, to Manhattan.
In other words, things are lining up perfectly for a big season.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...ec72d34f8c9_story.html?utm_term=.e54e791bcd83
Those closest to the program believe things are lining up for Snyder to contend for one more conference title, and just maybe, force their way into the College Football Playoff and make another run at a national championship.
Knocking off the Aggies on Dec. 28 would serve as a catapult toward those lofty aspirations, sending a Kansas State team filled with underclassmen into the offseason on a high note.
“Next year is next year,” Snyder said, “but surely it could. Hopefully that would be the case. As I’ve said every year, each year has totally different dynamics than previous years. It’s one step at a time. More often than not, the previous year and how things play out is not necessarily a good indicator of where the next team is going to go.”
“Everything that we’ve accomplished so far, it was not expected of us,” Kansas State linebacker Trent Tanking explained. “We could go from the team that was considered young and inexperienced to the team that finished the season strong.”
Not to mention the team that is poised for bigger things next season.
Start with the offense, where the only starters who will be lost to graduation are offensive lineman Terrale Johnson, wide receiver Deante Burton and running back Charles Jones. All of them have backups who have played considerably this season, which should smooth their departure.
Their big playmakers are all due back: quarterback Jesse Ertz, running backs Alex Barnes and Justin Silmon, wide receiver Byron Pringle and tight end Dayton Valentine.
Defensively, the Wildcats will lose stalwart defensive end Jordan Willis, veteran safety Dante Barnett and three other starters. But similar to the offense, their backups played meaningful snaps, and two freshmen starters will have a year of seasoning.
Then there is the schedule itself.
The nonconference includes home games against Central Arkansas and Charlotte sandwiched around a trip to Vanderbilt, giving the Wildcats a chance to get off to a good start. The Big 12 slate sends most of the elite teams, including Oklahoma, West Virginia and Baylor, to Manhattan.
In other words, things are lining up perfectly for a big season.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...ec72d34f8c9_story.html?utm_term=.e54e791bcd83
