The 20 most overhyped college football teams of the last 20 years

2004: Kansas State Wildcats

Bill Snyder has done an amazing job pulling the Kansas State football program from the depths of the sport and turning the Wildcats into a consistent winner, and the head coach has a well-deserved reputation for overachieving.

It took five years for Snyder to lead K-State into the Top 25, and the Wildcats were fixtures in the AP Poll from 1993-2004. Over that span, Kansas State posted seven seasons of 10 wins or more, six Top 10 finishes and the 2003 Big 12 Conference Championship. After winning the league title in 2003, Kansas State entered the ’04 campaign ranked No. 13 in the country. The Wildcats had been ranked higher in only three previous preseason polls, so expectations were uncharacteristically high in Manhattan.

But things went bad quickly. After a mediocre win over Western Kentucky, Fresno State beat K-State 45-21, knocking the Wildcats from the Top 25. After another non-conference win, Snyder’s squad lost its first three Big 12 contests to fall to 2-4. After two wins in their next three games, the Wildcats had a chance to salvage a disappointing season with a bowl game, but instead lost the final two games of the season at Colorado and at home against Iowa State to finish 4-7. It was the first losing season for Snyder at K-State since 1990, his second year at the helm.

Snyder retired after a 5-6 season in 2005, and handed the program to Ron Prince. However, after Prince posted just one winning season in three years, Snyder returned to the sidelines. In eight seasons since stepping away, the 77-year-old Snyder is 66-41 and has led the Wildcats to seven consecutive bowl games as well as the 2012 Big 12 title.