K-State's Chris Klieman Receiving National Spotlight In Rugged Big 12
Kansas State coach Chris Klieman has his team off to a fast start.
Fresh off a 31-28 come-from-behind victory against the Colorado Buffaloes last Saturday, the Wildcats are slowly but surely creeping up toward the top of the Big 12 standings.
Ahead of its second leg of back-to-back road games, Kansas State (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) plays West Virginia (3-3, 2-1 Big 12) to potentially extend its winning streak to three on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET, FOX).
Before doing so, Klieman earned some national recognition. He was named to the Dodd Trophy Midseason Watchlist Thursday afternoon for potential Coach of the Year honors.
Klieman joined a list of 20 Power Four coaches nationwide, including Illinois' Bret Bielema, Miami (FL's) Mario Cristobal, Ohio State's Ryan Day, Penn State's James Franklin, plus others. Klieman was one of three Big 12 coaches to make the list, including Iowa State's Matt Campbell, alongside BYU's Kalani Sitake.
Sitake is to thank for the Klieman's lone loss of the season, as BYU won 38-9.
Kansas State likely has an inside track to win a conference championship by season's end. The Wildcats don't play another ranked opponent until a road clash against Iowa State on Thanksgiving weekend. The Cyclones currently sit in a two-way tie for first place with BYU. Meanwhile, Kansas State is in a five-way tie for second place in the conference. The Wildcats can gain ground with a win against West Virginia, giving them the head-to-head tiebreaker.
According to ESPN's FPI, Kansas State has a 56.8 percent chance of beating West Virginia. Oddsmakers agree with ESPN's assessment. Per ESPN BET, Kansas State is a 3.5-point favorite.
Zain Bando is a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached at zainbando99@gmail.com and on Instagram/'X' @zainbando99.
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