The 2017 K-State football season is inching closer and closer, and what better way to get prepared than reading some bold predictions for the Wildcats 2017 campaign?
College football is filled with everything from twists and turns to up and downs. Fans just never know what’s coming next, especially with the Kansas State Wildcats. Their style of play may not always be bold, but the results always seem to be overachieved. Head coach Bill Snyder finds a way to get his team to play better than expected, and this year will be no different.
Kansas State is on a few radars this season, especially after making the preseason top 25. In a college football news ranking for the Big 12, however, the Wildcats don’t get much love. The nerve of them!
As fans, I can give you a little more hope for this season, and have you excited for everything K-State football this season. From Heisman candidates to a College Football Playoff berth?! Could that really happen? You’ll have to read on to find out.
Here are my Bold Predictions for KSU Football for the 2017 season.
K-State Football: Five Bold Predictions for the 2017 Season – Mike McCoy rushes for at least 1,000 Rushing Yards
A few weeks ago, I wrote an article on the running back depth that the Wildcats have this season. This list includes running back Mike McCoy, who should get plenty of carries and opportunities to make his name known.
I not only fully suspect McCoy to do well in his role, I predict him to succeed and overachieve. He has a great frame for a back at 6’2″ and 235 pounds. He has all the tools necessary to get the job done for the Cats.
Hopefully this skill set translates and we can look forward to many big plays on the ground. Something else that will help him is his stout offensive line. They’re big and have the experience to open up lanes for McCoy to take advantage of.
Let’s say a healthy stat line by the end of the year for Mr. McCoy is 1,070 yards and 11 touchdowns. If he can do that, all of Manhattan will be pumping their fists watching this kid play.
K-State Football: Five Bold Predictions for the 2017 Season – KSU beats OU in Manhattan
Saturday, October 21st, 2017.
All fans can mark that day on the calendar because the Wildcats will be undefeated heading into this game. Not to mention that Oklahoma will only have one loss, which will come against the Ohio State Buckeyes. This sets up a Kansas State team at 6-0 while the visiting Oklahoma Sooners will be 5-1. ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!
With this being a primetime game on FOX Sports and all of the hype around it, the game starts out with both teams scoring on opening drives. The game then starts to take on a slower pace much to the liking of Bill Snyder.
The Wildcats continue the slow methodical ground game while acquiring field goals. In the meantime, Oklahoma can’t seem to strike big when it needs to.
The battle will down to the fourth quarter with everyone in purple on the edge of their seat. With a 20-14 lead over the Sooners, KSU just needs to sustain the drive and run out the clock. With all that depth at running back and great O-Line, it’ll happen.
K-State will come out victorious against the Sooners and walk away 7-0 with a bright season ahead of them. I can’t wait for this to actually happen.
K-State Football: Five Bold Predictions for the 2017 Season – Jesse Ertz will be nominated for the Heisman
You guys remember a quarterback by the name of Collin Klein? Yeah, me too. He was pretty good, right? Well, laugh all you want, but Jesse Ertz can put up similar numbers and get an invitation to the Heisman ceremony. He’ll do that this year. I wasn’t kidding when I said these were bold predictions, but I firmly believe in this one!
Do I think Jesse Ertz is on the same level with Kline? Not at all. In fact, his back up Alex Delton is better than him. For the quarterback he has become, however, he will lend his talents to an awfully generous system for a running quarterback.
Ertz will put up some good numbers, and because of his team being in the national spotlight (we will get to that bold prediction later), a Heisman nomination could be on its way for Mr. Ertz.
Don’t be shocked when Ertz puts up 2,500 passing and over 800 rushing yards to go along with a handful of touchdowns on the ground and over 15 through the air. These are solid numbers for Ertz and what I’m predicting to be an even better season for the senior quarterback. Let’s do this!
K-State Football: Five Bold Predictions for the 2017 Season – Kansas State Wins the Big 12 Championship
A loss in the regular season to the Oklahoma State Cowboys is likely in the cards for the Cats, however, a massive win in the rematch of those two teams in the BIG12 Championship game is also on the agenda. Fans have to like the sound of that.
What better way to cap off Bill Snyder’s possible final season than for this team to win him another Big 12 title. Kansas State will enter this game with one loss to the Cowboys in the regular season while OSU will sport a spotless record entering the Big 12 title game.
This game will go very different than the first meeting, which should be a high scoring affair where the Wildcats just can’t seem to keep up. Here, in this championship game, the tides will be different. Kansas State will execute their perfect plan of keep away.
With the Wildcat offense on the field and the OSU offense off of it, the game will go slow and steady causing the Cowboys to make the same mistake the Sooners made earlier in the year. DON’T SLEEP ON THE CATS, BOYS.
The Kansas State Wildcats pick up their coach and carry him off the field as champions after they beat OSU by a score of 19-17. They’ll see all those conservative field goals that their coach chose to take pay off. Now, they just may be heading some where else special after this game.
K-State Football: 5 Bold Predictions for the 2017 Season – Kansas State makes the College Football Playoff
Say whaaaaat?
The Kansas State Wildcats have a stellar year! A big win against Oklahoma, a Big 12 Title, and the icing on the cake is a spot in the College Football Playoffs. How much sweeter can this season get for K-State football fans?
The Wildcats, being a one-loss team with a conference championship and wins against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia on its resumé, won’t be left out of the big dance. It will be a dog eat dog world out there this year, with the SEC and PAC12 eating each other alive.
Kansas State will come out of the pack to claim the four-spot and likely play a powerhouse team such as Alabama, Florida State, or even Ohio State, who beat Oklahoma earlier in the year. That match up could be tough for the Wildcats and they could see an early exit from the playoffs.
If all these predictions come true, however, it would be one hell of a year Cat fans.
These are called bold predictions for a reason, but I really think the Wildcats can accomplish all five of these “out there” guesses as to what the 2017 season has in store.
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People might scoff at some of these predictions, but what’s stopping them from happening? Kansas State has the best coach in college football history leading the charge and this roster is as stacked as its been in years. Fans’ confidence levels should be through the roof!
Jesse Ertz doesn’t wow people with his throwing abilities, but this season will be a special one for him. He’ll be up for the Heisman (though likely won’t win it) and will become another impressive name on the quarterback list for Bill Snyder’s tenure as head coach of the Wildcats.
If Kansas State made it to the College Football Playoff, that’d be really, really exciting for the fans and for the city of Manhattan. It’s been a few seasons since KSU made its mark in the later part of the season and 2017 is their year to do so.
Next: Five Potential Replacements for Bill Snyder
So, K-State fans, what do you think? Am I out of my mind for some of these predictions or could you see them happening?
EMAW!