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Big 12 Media Days: Underdog Kansas State Won't Shy Away from Championship Expectations

Wildcats coach Chris Klieman says being the hunted, rather than the hunter, is kind of exciting, but tries not to put to much energy into it.

John E. Hoover

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ARLINGTON, TX — TCU got to go to the playoff. But Kansas State got the hardware.

The Wildcats, and not the undefeated, CFP-winning Horned Frogs, are the defending Big 12 Champion. Coach Chris Klieman on Thursday addressed the notion of being the hunted, rather than the hunter.

“I’m kind of excited actually,” Klieman said as he opened Day 2 of Big 12 Media Days at AT&T Stadium. “But in this league, I think everybody circles every game. I just don't — I’ve never bought into one game is more important than another, because if you do, what are you going to tell your players the next week, that this one is not quite as important?

“But yeah, to be the hunted, the fact that we're the defending Big 12 champs means nothing when you go into that game. I mean, still, you've got to perform.”

K-State went 10-4 last season, 7-2 in Big 12 play, and stunned the unbeaten Horned Frogs in a thriller that finished about 40 yards from where Klieman sat Thursday.

“We're excited to be back,” Klieman said. “It's going into year five for me, and it's crazy to think how quickly this time has gone.”

Beating Oklahoma in Norman early in league play allowed Klieman to show an experienced roster what was possible. They rode that momentum all of last season. Now, the belief has been instilled.

The Wildcats have their entire offensive line back, and return quarterback Will Howard. But star running back Deuce Vaughn needs to be replaced. There are massive vacancies across the defense, too.

The Big 12 looks more winnable with 14 teams than it did with 10, so Klieman’s blue-collar team, which embraced an underdog role last year, won’t shy away from championship expectations.

“Well, there's tremendous parity in the Big 12,” Klieman said. “You saw that last year with the amount of teams that either won one-score games or knocked people off, and every week you had to have your A game or you were going to get beat.

“I think that's what college football is starting to become, as well. Recruiting is never ending. The transfer portal is never ending. So there's so many players switching teams, so you're always going to have increased parity.”

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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