Will Chris Klieman and the Wildcats win enough games to make a bowl? K-State Q&A
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- K-State has a 27% chance of bowl eligibility, needing five wins in eight games.
- Offensive line struggles hinder run game, forcing staff to consider lineup changes.
- Chris Klieman plans strategic adjustments over staff replacements after poor start.
There is no such thing as an off-switch when it comes to Kansas State football.
Fans are always going to be interested in the Wildcats, even when they start a season 1-3 and have an off week on the schedule.
With that in mind, let’s dive into your questions. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
What do you believe our chances are for a bowl game? -@rcst2msn via X.
College football statistician Kelley Ford gives K-State a 27% chance of winning six games and gaining bowl eligibility.
That seems generous to me. The Wildcats have already lost three games as a favorite, and they project as underdogs in five of their final eight games.
The way they have played thus far, a 4-8 season seems more likely than a trip to a bowl game.
But let’s say Chris Klieman gets things turned around after the bye week and K-State ends the season on an unexpected heater. Stranger thing have happened, right?
K-State needs to go 5-3 the rest of the way to become bowl eligible. The path there starts with winning a trio of manageable games against UCF, Oklahoma State and Colorado. Take care of business against those opponents and a strong finish is possible for the Wildcats.
But the other five games won’t be easy. Four straight games against Baylor, TCU, Kansas and Texas Tech is about as hard as it gets in the Big 12. Heading to Utah near the end of the season will also be a challenge.
In other words, K-State will have to secure bowl eligibility the hard way. My odds for the Wildcats: 20%.
So you’re telling me there’s a chance? Lloyd Christmas will be happy.
I will say this, though: I doubt many people will mind if the Wildcats miss out on a bowl this season. The team’s main motivation right now should be to finish the year 7-1 and to push for a spot in the Big 12 championship game. Keeping the winning streak against KU alive in the Sunflower Showdown is also a good source of motivation. But no one should use the Liberty Bowl as a rallying cry.
On a scale of 1-10, how likely is it that the offense will play to win instead of playing to lose against UCF next week? -@coachjeromecf via X.
Let’s go with 8.5
Fans should see the absolute best version of K-State when it returns to the field next weekend. After a 1-3 start, the Wildcats have no reason to hold anything back. Blessed with an idle week to make adjustments, this team should come out much more aggressive. It should also have an offensive game plan that is hard for UCF to predict.
Now, it’s worth mentioning that Chris Klieman has typically struggled after off weeks during his time with the Wildcats.
But he’s never been in a desperate situation like this before. And K-State has usually played top competition after bye weeks.
Things are different this year.
Other coaches have really turned things around after bye weeks in the past. Kansas started out 1-5 last season but finished 4-2 after it benefited from a bye week. Oklahoma State looked like hot garbage two years ago, but the Cowboys got back on track during their bye week and rallied to reach the Big 12 championship game.
I’m not saying the same thing will happen for K-State. But it is possible. At minimum, the bye week should help the Wildcats against the Knights.
This would be more for Coach Klieman at next press conference, but where did he rank this team in the B12 standings preseason. And what was it he saw to have confidence vs. what is actually showing up on gameday? -@kstated via X.
If I may speak for Chris Klieman ...
I predicted the Wildcats to win nine games and contend for a spot in the Big 12 championship. I expected Dylan Edwards to be an all-conference running back. I expected VJ Payne to be an elite defender at safety. I expected K-State to reload on the offensive line. I liked that a pair of Ohio State transfers were coming in. And I thought the Wildcats would overcome question marks in the secondary.
So why is this team 1-3 and off to its worst start since 1989, especially after it began the year ranked at No. 17?
Edwards has been on the sideline with an ankle injury. Payne isn’t making many plays on defense. Several big-name transfers have been hurt or ineffective or kicked off the team. The offensive line can’t run-block, which means K-State is unable to move the ball on the ground.
Making matters worse, the Wildcats can’t stop the run when they’re on defense. Avery Johnson has also had his issues, but I’m really not sure how much blame to assign him given everything else that is going wrong.
Klieman’s teams have always been able to run the ball on offense and stop the run on defense. But this team can’t do either. It has no identity.
As the current football season approaches a full slide into oblivion, has the coaching staff considered re-opening the QB competition and letting Jacob Knuth, Blake Barnett and Dillon Duff get more reps to potentially earn the starting job? If Will Howard is any indicator, losing the position of starting QB can be a powerful motivator, irrespective of past reputation and current NIL payment level - Kirk Z. via e-mail.
There is no quarterback controversy.
Avery Johnson has handled every snap for the Wildcats this season, and that seems unlikely to change anytime soon. Chris Klieman went so far as to say he felt bad for Johnson after a loss to Arizona.
“I think he’s playing well enough for us to win,” Klieman said. “But he’s not getting the time.”
Translation: K-State needs better play on the offensive line.
I tend to agree. Johnson has completed 77 of 127 passes for 851 yards, six touchdowns and one interception this season. Those aren’t the numbers of a quarterback who needs to be benched, even though he was limited to 88 yards against Arizona. I could see a QB competition if he had thrown something like 10 interceptions. But he has mostly protected the ball.
And it’s not like he’s getting much help. Outside of Jayce Brown and a healthy Dylan Edwards, this offense doesn’t have many playmakers.
I doubt switching to a backup would seriously spark the offense.
Does Johnson need to play better? Yes, of course. Could a QB competition motivate him? Maybe. But it could also demoralize him.
For now, K-State would be better off working with him to improve rather than looking for a new quarterback.
What changes is the O-line undergoing? -@jcroft55 via X.
It will be interesting to see what starting lineup the Wildcats use on the offensive line when they return to action next week against UCF.
Assistant coach Brian Lepak has been playing musical chairs on the front five this season. We have already seen at least four different blockers line up at right tackle. There has also been experimentation at right guard. Maybe that should continue.
We saw seven different players on the offensive line against Arizona, and the highest grade any of them received from Pro Football Focus was a 68.9 (out of 100) from John Pastore.
The Wildcats need to do something to strengthen the middle of their line. They can’t run the ball between the tackles at all. Take away a 75-yard run from wide receiver Jayce Brown against Arizona and the rest of the team gained a grand total of 30 yards on the ground.
Conor Riley may have lacked imagination as an offensive coordinator, but he was exceptional at coaching the offensive line. It seems like K-State is missing him now that he is with the Dallas Cowboys. Replacing him, and three starters from last year’s roster, has been harder than expected.
I never thought I would see the day when K-State couldn’t win at the line of the scrimmage. But here we are.
Chris Klieman has said he is ready to make big changes. Could that mean new coordinators for the Wildcats? - Ron S. via e-mail.
Firing a coordinator mid-season isn’t Klieman’s style.
The “big” changes he mentioned after the Arizona loss were referring more to strategy and personnel. Maybe it’s time for offensive coordinator Matt Wells to get more tight ends on the field to help the run game. Perhaps different offensive linemen should be starting. Maybe more gadget plays would be useful. That kind of thing.
On defense, perhaps Joe Klanderman could sprinkle in more formations that feature three defensive linemen and different blitzing angles.
Klieman wants to go back to the drawing board with his coaching staff, not bring in new assistants.
If forced to rank, which KSU sport is in the best position to win an NCAA national championship? -@AP_Dubya via X.
It would take a perfect storm of transfers, luck and scorching hot postseason play for K-State to win a national championship in any sport, at least based on the trajectory of its current teams.
It would only take one or two awesome golfers to give the Wildcats a shot in that sport. Look at how much Carla Bernat helped the women’s team last year.
The baseball team could make a postseason run behind a dominant starting pitcher and some hot bats.
Jerome Tang could also hit the lottery with a transfer class and get back to the NCAA Tournament. Once you’re in, you’ve got a chance.
The odds of that happening in football or women’s basketball seem longer, because the top teams in those sports have huge advantages and have distanced themselves from other competition.
Alas, there is currently no team on campus that is steadily trending toward No. 1.
This is one reason why I think it would be a good idea for K-State to add wrestling. It may not be fiscally possible for the athletic department, but the Wildcats could stand out in that sport. There is an abundance of talent nearby and very little competition.