Kansas State Football: Wildcats must win game against Baylor
By Ethan Lee
If Kansas State football intends to bounce back and save this season, the Wildcats have to beat the Baylor Bears. Bill Snyder needs to find an offense for his team right now.
Coming into the sixth week of the season, there’s already a rather slim chance that Kansas State football will make it to a bowl this season. Bill Snyder’s team has played poor football throughout the bulk of the first half of the season and now they’re staring at a sub .500 record right in the face.
If the Kansas State Wildcats want to make something of this season, they better do something quick. K-State must win against the Baylor Bears this Saturday. Otherwise, well, there’s practically no hope for this team.
Not that a lot of hope actually exists at the moment.
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However, this weekend’s game against Matt Rhule and Baylor would set Kansas State right back at .500 on the season and makes what is an unrealistic turnaround for this year slightly more plausible.
Right now, the Wildcats are toward the bottom of the Big-12 standings. That is a fact that should not really surprise anyone. Kansas State won’t be winning the Big-12 this season, so there’s no real reason to discuss that as a possibility. However, it’s important to take note of the other teams that are currently bottom dwellers in this conference.
Below the Kansas State football team sits Iowa State. Above the Wildcats sits Texas Tech. Tied with Kansas State for second to last place with two conference losses is Kansas. The three of these teams are the final three foes for Bill Snyder’s team this season.
If K-State could somehow manage to beat Baylor this weekend, then it sets up the final stretch of the season as a chance for the Wildcats to go bowling if they could also win three in a row to close out the year. Two of the final three games this season will be in Manhattan. The final game will be at Iowa State.
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If Kansas State can actually win this weekend, there’s a chance at making it to a bowl. It’s not a great chance, but it theoretically exists.
Can Kansas State actually win this weekend?
Well, it’s not exactly a given. It’s not anything close to being a given. In fact, Kansas State will face a rather tough test with the Bears on Saturday.
The team that won one game a season ago is actually looking pretty good on offense. The Bears scored 33 on the road at Oklahoma (in what was a 33 point loss) and have been able to move the ball on just about everyone they’ve faced so far.
Kansas State, on the other hand, is seemingly incapable of moving the ball right now.
Yes, the Wildcats found a pulse offensively and scored a couple of touchdowns in what was almost a comeback against Texas. However, in this game, K-State will probably need to score rather frequently.
And so, to avoid completely getting ahead of ourselves for a brief moment, there’s no given here this weekend. The Kansas State football team could very well lose this game. And if they do, this season is all but surely over for the Wildcats. After Baylor, Kansas State will play Oklahoma State, at Oklahoma, and at TCU.
Oh, and that game against Texas Tech probably won’t be all that easy either.
Good, Bad, and Ugly from Kansas State's loss to Texas. dark. Next
Regardless of all of that, if Kansas State could actually find an offense and score enough to beat the Baylor Bears, then they might have a shot to close out the year and make a bowl. This game is a must win if this Kansas State football season is to be salvaged.