College Football Rankings 2017: Projected Top 25 after Week 1

ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 02: Bo Scarbrough #9, head coach Nick Saban, and Jalen Hurts #2 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrate with the Chick-fil-A Kick-Off Game trophy after defeating the Florida State Seminoles 24-7 in their game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /

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MANHATTAN, KS – SEPTEMBER 02: Running back Alex Barnes #34 of the Kansas State Wildcats rushes up field against the Central Arkansas Bears during the first half at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Manhattan, Kansas. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /

19. Kansas State Wildcats

Ranking before Week 1: No. 20

Oh look, it’s Bill Snyder and Kansas State just hanging out in the rankings while nobody pays attention to them because of everyone else in the Big XII Conference.

Where have we seen that before? (Literally every year that Bill Snyder has been the head coach in Manhattan.)

With teams like Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, along with Tom Herman’s arrival in Austin for his first season with the Longhorns, Snyder’s Wildcats always seem to get lost in the fray. But, this may be one of Snyder’s better teams this season.

Sure, it was Central Arkanasas on Saturday, but Wildcats quarterback Jesse Ertz threw 16 pass attempts and completed 10 of them for 333 yards and four touchdowns. Those are video game-like numbers. The wide receiver combo of Byron Pringle and Isaiah Harris combined for six of those completions for 239 of those yards and two of the four touchdowns.

Yeah, you see it. Kansas State is a big-play, explosive offense that’s going to resemble the 2008 Oklahoma Sooners and frighten the entire conference.

OK, they may not actually be that good, but the Wildcats are going to be in the Big XII title race. The favorites may reside in Oklahoma, but you can never count out Kansas State in the Big XII. Snyder’s track record says you can’t.

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