Kansas State Football: 10 Reasons Why Wildcats Can Win the New-Look Big 12

In 1989, Bill Snyder took over a massive rebuilding project at Kansas State.

The Wildcats were in the midst of a 27-game losing streak and Sports Illustrated labeled Manhattan, Kan. "Futility U," home of the worst college football program. But Snyder turned around the Wildcats, leading them to 11 straight bowl games, 136 wins, four Big 12 North crowns and the 2003 conference championship.

Snyder retired after 2005, and Ron Prince led the Wildcats to just one bowl game and 17 wins in three years. In 2009, Snyder came out of retirement and has posted 6-6 and 7-6 records. This year, Kansas State looks to continue to climb in the reconfigured Big 12 and match the dominance of Snyder's former teams.

Here are 10 reasons why Kansas State can win the Big 12 championship this season.

1. Coach Bill Snyder

Snyder's work at Kansas State is considered one of the greatest turnarounds in college football history.

In the ESPN College Football Encyclopedia, then-Kansas State president Jon Wefald said, "How many football coaches can accomplish what he accomplished? Oh, one out of 10,000...You have to a rare individual like Bill Snyder. I would have to say the Lord sent him here."

Among current Big 12 coaches, Snyder's 149 career wins rank third, one behind Missouri's Gary Pinkel and 64 back of Texas' Mack Brown. But no coach has done more with less. It's similar this fall. Other teams may have more talent, but none has accomplished a turnaround like Snyder.

2. Bryce Brown

Kansas State returns only 25 percent of its total yards, last in the Big 12, according to college football statistician Phil Steele. Plus, the Wildcats lost Daniel Thomas, who rushed for a team-high 1,585 yards. But Bryce Brown, Thomas' replacement, should be the conference's best running back. Brown was the country's top-ranked running back out of high school, rushed for 460 yards as a true freshman in 2009 for Tennessee and transferred to Kansas State.

Brown had to sit out last season because of transfer rules, but he'll make an immediate impact for the Wildcats. Expect Brown to easily clear 1,000 yards behind a strong offensive line that returns five players with starting experience.

3. Arthur Brown

Arthur, Bryce's brother, followed a similar path to Manhattan, Kan. Brown, a linebacker, was one of the nation's top 10 recruits out of high school. Brown had 17 tackles in 2008-09 at Miami before he transferred to Kansas State.

He was impressive on the scout team last year, picked up 14 tackles in the spring game and was named to watch lists for the Nagurski and Butkus awards.

Brown will anchor a strong defense that moved from a 4-2-5 to a 4-3 in the spring.

4. Deep Secondary

The Wildcats return seven starters on defense, including several talented players in the secondary. Senior cornerback David Garrett, sophomore strong safety Ty Zimmerman and senior free safety Tysyn Hartman lead the defensive backs.

Zimmerman earned second-team all-Big 12 honors, while Garrett picked up an honorable mention all-conference in 2010.

Kansas State's secondary can help contain several pass-happy offenses, including Texas and Oklahoma.

5. Improved Quarterback Play

Josh Freeman, the current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, became the Wildcats' all-time passing leader in 2008. Since Freeman left, Kansas State has used Grant Gregory, Carson Coffman and Collin Klein to varying degrees of success.

Last year, Kansas State ranked ninth among conference teams in Big 12 play in passing yards. This fall, either Klein or junior quarterback Justin Tuggle, a highly touted transfer, should post the program's best numbers since Freeman.

6. Junior College Transfers Provide Impact

One Snyder staple has been junior college transfers that can come in, start and provide an immediate impact. Most recently, Daniel Thomas led the team in rushing in '09 and '10 after he transferred from a junior college.

This year, Kansas State brought in several talented JUCO players, including Tuggle, defensive lineman Meshak Williams, 337-pound offensive lineman Shaun Simon and defensive back Allen Chapman.

According to various recruiting rankings, no other Big 12 team brought in more high-quality junior college transfers for 2011. Those transfers can help Kansas State take the step to the top of the conference.

7. A Favorable Schedule

No matter the team's overall record, Kansas State nearly always posts a strong home mark. Under Snyder, the Wildcats are 98-24-1 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, including 9-3 the last two seasons.

In conference play, Kansas State has five home games against Baylor, Missouri, Oklahoma on Homecoming, Texas A&M and Iowa State. Oklahoma, a preseason top-five team, will be a tough contest, but the Sooners usually drop at least one road game a year; they've lost 10 road contests in the last six seasons.

Kansas State can give the Sooners a loss this season.

8. Facing Texas

For most teams, facing the Longhorns usually leads to a loss. But for Kansas State, playing Texas has normally led to a victory.

The Wildcats have defeated Texas three straight times by an average score of 42-26. This year, Kansas State draws Texas on Nov. 26—a contest that could yield another win.

9. No Nebraska

Perhaps no team benefited more than Kansas State when Nebraska left for the Big Ten.

Kansas State had beaten the Huskers just five times since 1969. Since 2004, Nebraska had beaten Kansas State 27-25, 21-3, 73-31, 56-28, 17-3 and 48-13.

This year, an almost assured loss is off the schedule.

10. Year No. 3 under Snyder

One trend in recent college football history is the quick turnaround. Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, Washington's Steve Sarkisian and former Florida coach Urban Meyer have all produced big turnarounds very quickly.

In 2009, Auburn coach Gene Chizik took over a Tigers program that had been 5-7 the year before. Auburn went 8-5 in '09 and won the national title last year.

Snyder, in his third year back from retirement, could keep the trend going.