Hey you know, why not? I thought about not doing one of these this year but I’ll be damned if I didn’t get an electric grill for my birthday. So now I have plenty of new recipies to try out this fall. With that said, I’m back and the grill is hot! This week we’ll do something I’ve been itching to do for a long time, both main and side dish wise. Continue reading Football Feedings 2014 Week 01: Armadilla Pork Ribs
Hey it’s another year of football for Kansas State and it’s a weird time to be a fan. Usually Kansas State comes in underpicked, underestimated, and just generally dumped on. Welp this year is different. The Wildcats ended the year strong with an even stronger win over Michigan in the bowl game. Now all of the sudden the pundits and spineless sports media are picking Kansas State to finish well.
It’s a weird feeling. If any fan, and team, watches and plays better with a chip on their shoulder, it’s Kansas State. So now it’s time to act like we’ve been there. Yes, we have, but that added extra juice of being the underdog is gone. What’s a K-Stater to do? I guess the best thing is to do what got you to this point.
For us fans, that means cheering loud and staying proud. Pretty easy. For the football team, that means Jake Waters tossing bombs to Tyler Lockett. That’s pretty easy, too, actually. It helps that there’s this sexy stats the pundits refer to that each returning Wildcat quarterback leads the team to 11 wins (minus the early Snyder teams). So Jake Waters has that going for him.
You know what else he has going for him? Collin Klein. No no, he’s not playing for the team again, he’s COACHING them. While you can’t teach those kind of running instincts, Collin Klein can at least give direction. And that’s exactly what he’s doing with Jake Waters. Dark horse Heisman right there. I expect Jake Waters to do great, great things this year. More so than Tyler Lockett, although he’s right up there.
The offense sort of has questions elsewhere. There’s a decent group of wide receivers coming back, even though Daniel Sams took off after losing the quarterback job. The running back situation will be a committee until someone shows up. I hope its fast. There’s a polarized set of experience on the offense line and I hope they gel fast too.
I’m not sure what’s up on defense. Ryan Mueller is the man on the defense line (and former St. Thomas Aquinas alum, like me). That’s about all I know. There’s a couple of JUCO transfers that will help out immediately and we’ll have to see what the team looks like when they take the field today. Chances are, they will be fundamentally sound but not the biggest and fasted. Just like the last couple of years.
So speaking of games, how do I see the Wildcats this year? After last year’s fist game turd, I expect them to punch the ball in quicker and grow a bigger lead in the first half against Stephen F. Austin and then let up on the peddle a bit. They won’t be vanilla the whole game. Not with what’s coming up next.
Right after that, it’s a brutal stretch. Farmageddon is next, then Auburn. Iowa State will be better on the offensive side of the ball now that they got Mark Mangino as the offensive coordinator. And it’s on the road. Even though it wasn’t close last year, it will be this year. Kansas State will win.
Auburn is the big tomato. At least it’s in Manhattan. I get the feel from Tigers fans that they are scared about this one. They should be. But for some reason, all of the hype surrounding Kansas State this year has at least alerted them to the danger that is the Wildcats. Which means the team will be ready. Will Kansas State be ready? Yes. Will they lose? Unfortunately, yes.
So what does the rest of the schedule look like? Let’s run it down. They come back down to Earth and beat up UTEP. Texas Tech is in Manhattan so that’s a Wildcat victory. That Oklahoma game is a toss up because they are getting overrated too. I’m going with a loss there. They will beat Texas and Oklahoma State in Manhattan. They will beat TCU and West Virginia on the road. They will roll Kansas.
So that leaves Baylor. On the road. Hey guess what? I’m going to the game! New stadium. Last game of the year. Will it be for the Big 12 title? I sure hope so. My guess is that it will have huge implications on the Big 12 title. That’s good enough for me. Because I just don’t think Kansas State can keep up with Baylor.
Which means I’m pretty much going chalk this year. Weak, isn’t it? That’s what happens when the hype matches where I actually think the team will be, which is about 3rd in the conference with 3 losses. Now what bowl game that will be, I don’t know. I hope it’s close to Austin so I can finally see the Wildcats in a bowl. But until then, I’ll keep cheering loud and staying proud. Go Wildcats!
So it’s getting amazingly close to the first whistle of the year and it’s time now that I take a moment and peer into the crystal punch bowl to predict Kansas State’s football season. I’ve learned alot down here in Austin after living here for a little more than 3 years. One of the things happens to be pride. So I’m taking my pride in Kansas State and leaning on that hard coming into this year. Everyone else says they will fall back down below the middle of the pack. Is that the case?
Okay so yeah, they lose Heisman runner Collin Klein and a bunch of starters from last year, mostly on defense. That makes it easy for the naysayers of last year to come back even louder this year and say that the Wildcats will be down. Why are we even listening to this naysayers, er, sports media types? Welp, they have the bullhorn by the horn and won’t let go. They say that no one knows anything about the kids coming in to replace the starters. Is it that bad?
Well typically when you lose starters, you lose a ton of experience which does count way more college football than in the pros. So the argument might be pretty tight. But this is a Bill Snyder coached football team. He will find a way to get the best out of his youngsters at whatever position he plunks them down at. How come we’ve never heard of Collin Klein, Darren Sproles, or Michael Bishop before they played Kansas State? Because they get their name wearing the purple. The naysayers never predict that.
Yet I couldn’t predict what is happening at the quarterback position. Going into this year, I thought it was all Daniel Sams. But then all of the sudden, this Jake Waters kid comes into the picture. He had a career in the JUCO area not unlike a one Michael Bishop and his name was being talked about amongst the naysayers. Ruh roh. Do I smell trouble with this? Maybe a little. Coach Snyder announced him as the starter coming into this weekend. That could mean it’s his all the way or it’s Sams to catch up and take. I’ll be there at DKR to see who won.
Looking at the schedule, that big conference opening game will tell us alot. It will tell us just how good the fresh new defense is. It will tell us who the solid quarterback is. It will tell us if Kansas State has a shot to repeat. Thank goodness it’s against Texas. That bottle is almost empty and the magic is about to run out. I’m hoping for one more huge squeeze to give a go in my new-ish hometown of Austin. Before I run down the rest of the schedule, let me talk a bit about the defense.
Yes, they lost a ton of kids. But they also have some experience coming back, most notably Ty Zimmerman. I’m not entirely dumb enough to think that the defense will actually be weaker this year, but for some reason I’m thinking it will be enough. The two quarterback race tells me almost instantly that Kansas State may actually produce as much or even more than last year. Especially if Waters can really throw. So, yeah, they can be down on defense but the offense is already in motion to catch up.
No need to talk about the special teams. It’s the best in the Big 12 period. Thanks Tyler Lockett.
Now on to the schedule: The first two games are actually tough. They get North Dakota State and UL-Lafayette, both fairly tough tiny schools. If they can come out of that alive, they can take out Umass. I’m smelling a very heart attack inducing 3-0 start. Next up is Texas. They will beat Texas. I will say that until it stops. Oklahoma State will be tough and so will Baylor. Kansas State gets Baylor at home. Revenge for that one but I think they lose to the Pokes, it’s just too much. West Virginia will want revenge but I think we take them. Iowa State will be close as usual and seeing as its at home, I gotta give it to the Wildcats. Texas Tech has a new coach so I don’t know what to expect. I will go with Kansas State. TCU and Oklahoma will beat Kansas State. There’s too much defense and talent. Finally, Kansas State beats up on Kansas again.
Final Prediction: 9-3 with a bowl spot again and win to be 10-3
The ones I’m not entirely sure of are Texas and Iowa State. Those could go either way. I’m sure I’ll eat crow on one of those. But for the time being, it looks like the champ will fall back. Just not as far back as others are claiming. It’s time for another football season so let’s strap it up, EMAW Nation!
Ho Ho Howdy! Merry Holiday! Or what’s left of it. I’m back after my holiday break to squeeze out another 10 minutes of college football tidings. This time I talk about Kansas State, Oregon, Fiesta Bowl, Lache Seastrunk, Baylor, UCLA, Heisman Trophy, BYU, UCF, LA Lafayette, Boise State, Fresno State, SMU, EA Sports College Football, Western Kentucky, Central Michigan, Holiday Bowl, Little Caesars Bowl, Bill Snyder, Ohio State, Elle Roberson, Collin Klein, and the Mayan Calendar. Continue reading Purple Yeti Roar 48: Holiday Edition
The regular season is official over. Now it’s on to bowl season! But before we get into that, we must get on the annual coaching carousel. I’ll go over that as well as Kansas State, Big 12, Collin Klein, Mante Te’o, Johnny Manziel, Heisman Trophy, SEC, Tennessee, Arkansas, Bret Bielma, Auburn, Tommy Tuberville, Cincinnati, Mike Gundy, ESPN, Fox, and the BCS. Continue reading Purple Yeti Roar 46: Take A Ride On My Carousel
People are saying that it’s all down hill from here. For Kansas State that is. They put a whuppin’ on West Virginia and now everyone else on schedule will be easy walkings. Okay so the same people who are saying that were talking up that same West Virginia. I’m not falling for it. Most Kansas State fans won’t either. It’s a new week of college football and it just keeps getting tougher and tougher. Continue reading Pick It And Stick It: Rolling Down The HIll
While most of the Big 12 World is watching the Red River Shootout, I’ll be watching Farmageddon. It’s a trap game for the Kansas State Wildcats and I hope they pull it together and sneak out of Ames with a victory. The rest of the Big 12 plays but frankly I don’t care so much, except maybe for West Virginia at Texas Tech. No upsets there. Yeah it’s an abbreviated Pick It and Stick It, but I’m going to at least get my point across. Continue reading Pick It and Stick It: Up Early For Farmageddon
Yup it’s time I wing them again. I don’t like making things ultra official and professional (note the website) and I will follow that same lack of format for another Pick It and Stick It Special. It’s Dart Board Predictions time! I don’t keep track so if you want to hit me up on the Twitterz (twitter.com/kccgd) or email ([email protected]) and let me know just how smart or dumb I am. So with that out of the way, let’s sharpen up the darts and start tossing. Get out of the way.
Another year of Kansas State football is upon us and there’s some weird mixed feelings going on. Maybe not in Manhattan, but certainly down here in Austin and in this Purple Yeti’s abode. You see, part of me wants to believe that Kansas State will improve upon its amazing record from last year, but another wants to believe in the negative hype the so called sports media jams down my throat. Is everyone writing off Kansas State too easily, or will reality hit hard for the little Wildcats from the Little Apple? Continue reading Kansas State Football Preview 2012: Always The Underdog
Ah yeah, the Big 12 is back baby! Oh well, it didn’t really go anywhere. Compared to last year, this offseason was a walk in the park. Why is that? Well, we have some new faces in the mix and some old faces hit the road. I think truly for the first time in the last 3 years, there is some stability here. That makes me happy. What makes me happier is the new season so let’s see how this conference shakes out. Continue reading A Better Big 12 For 2012
I think I’m eating way more than I did when I was on vacation. The holidays were tasty but between running around to visit people and sipping a couple of barley pops left me with little time to eat well. Now that I am back, I find my fingers in the candy bowl that filled up from the stockings left before the trip. Oh well, I guess. Tis the season. I know one thing, after the new year and the end of bowl season, it’s mega workout time. One item that will mostly be fat throughout the year is the Crib Sheet. So let’s get munching: Continue reading Crib Sheet: Emptied Out The Bowls
It’s that time of year again. The time to hand out awards for special play by special players. The Big 12 awards popped out and there were a couple surprises. The one that jumps out at me is the ‘All-purpose’ award for Kansas State’s Collin Klein. Was that ever used before in the past? It seems like they cooked it up just for Klein. I mean, he’s no Heisman winner, but he was the most important person on the team for the Wildcats. I guess as a Kansas State fan, I’ll take what I can get. You have to take what you can get with this week’s Crib Sheet as well, so lets’ get doling:
Yes, it’s bowl season and I’ve got a hankering for one more Bowl Pick It and Stick It. This time bowling is more exciting for me outside of the BCS Bowls. Part of it is the fact that Kansas State got jipped out of an appearance at the Sugar Bowl, but the other part is that the line up BCS wise is just not interesting enough. The Sugar and the Orange are lame. The BCS National Championship Game is a rematch of boredom. The Fiesta and Rose look good but the overall product leaves me underwhelmed. That’s what I’m stoked for the Cotton Bowl. It’s non BCS and has a top 10 BCS match up with Kansas State taking on Arkansas. SEC vs Big 12. Hell yeah. Click on through for the Bowl Pick It and Stick It information.
Pick It and Stick It Link: http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/bowl/group/2195/invitation?key=8648873bde407264
Group: 2195
Password: gobig12
So here’s the rest of the bowl line up:
| Bowl | Location | Date/Time | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gildan New Mexico Temple vs. Wyoming |
Albuquerque, N.M. University Stadium |
Dec. 17 2 p.m. |
ESPN |
| Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Ohio vs. Utah State |
Boise, Idaho Bronco Stadium |
Dec. 17 5:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
| R+L Carriers New Orleans San Diego State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette |
New Orleans Mercedes-Benz Superdome |
Dec. 17 9 p.m. |
ESPN |
| Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Florida International vs. Marshall |
St. Petersburg, Fla. Tropicana Field |
Dec. 20 8 p.m. |
ESPN |
| S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia TCU vs. Louisiana Tech |
San Diego Qualcomm Stadium |
Dec. 21 8 p.m. |
ESPN |
| MAACO Las Vegas Arizona State vs. Boise State |
Las Vegas Sam Boyd Stadium |
Dec. 22 8 p.m. |
ESPN |
| Sheraton Hawaii Nevada vs. Southern Miss |
Honolulu Aloha Stadium |
Dec. 24 8 p.m. |
ESPN |
| AdvoCare V100 Independence Missouri vs. North Carolina |
Shreveport, La. Independence Stadium |
Dec. 26 5 p.m. |
ESPN2 |
| Little Caesars Western Michigan vs. Purdue |
Detroit Ford Field |
Dec. 27 4:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
| Belk Louisville vs. NC State |
Charlotte, N.C. Bank of America Stadium |
Dec. 27 8 p.m. |
ESPN |
| Military Bowl Presented By Northrop Grumman Toledo vs. Air Force |
Washington, D.C. RFK Stadium |
Dec. 28 4:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
| Bridgepoint Education Holiday California vs. Texas |
San Diego Qualcomm Stadium |
Dec. 28 8 p.m. |
ESPN |
| Champs Sports Florida State vs. Notre Dame |
Orlando, Fla. Florida Citrus Bowl |
Dec. 29 5:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
| Valero Alamo Washington vs. Baylor |
San Antonio Alamodome |
Dec. 29 9 p.m. |
ESPN |
| Bell Helicopter Armed Forces BYU vs. Tulsa |
Dallas Gerald J. Ford Stadium |
Dec. 30 Noon |
ESPN |
| New Era Pinstripe Rutgers vs. Iowa State |
Bronx, N.Y. Yankee Stadium |
Dec. 30 3:20 p.m. |
ESPN |
| Franklin American Mortgage Music City Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest |
Nashville, Tenn. LP Field |
Dec. 30 6:40 p.m. |
ESPN |
| Insight Iowa vs. Oklahoma |
Tempe, Ariz. Sun Devil Stadium |
Dec. 30 10 p.m. |
ESPN |
| Meineke Car Care of Texas Texas A&M vs. Northwestern |
Houston Reliant Stadium |
Dec. 31 Noon |
ESPN |
| Hyundai Sun Georgia Tech vs. Utah |
El Paso, Texas Sun Bowl |
Dec. 31 2 p.m. |
CBS |
| AutoZone Liberty Cincinnati vs. Vanderbilt |
Memphis, Tenn. Liberty Bowl |
Dec. 31 3:30 p.m. |
ABC |
| Kraft Fight Hunger Illinois vs. UCLA |
San Francisco AT&T Park |
Dec. 31 3:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
| Chick-fil-A Virginia vs. Auburn |
Atlanta Georgia Dome |
Dec. 31 7:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
| TicketCity Houston vs. Penn State |
Dallas Cotton Bowl |
Jan. 2 Noon |
ESPNU |
| Outback Michigan State vs. Georgia |
Tampa, Fla. Raymond James Stadium |
Jan. 2 1 p.m. |
ABC |
| Capital One Nebraska vs. South Carolina |
Orlando, Fla. Florida Citrus Bowl |
Jan. 2 1 p.m. |
ESPN |
| Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl Ohio State vs. Florida |
Jacksonville, Fla. EverBank Field |
Jan. 2 1 p.m. |
ESPN2 |
| Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio Wisconsin vs. Oregon |
Pasadena, Calif. Rose Bowl |
Jan. 2 5 p.m. |
ESPN |
| Tostitos Fiesta Stanford vs. Oklahoma State |
Glendale, Ariz. U. of Phoenix Stadium |
Jan. 2 8:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
| Allstate Sugar Michigan vs. Virginia Tech |
New Orleans Louisiana Superdome |
Jan. 3 8:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
| Discover Orange West Virginia vs. Clemson |
Miami Sun Life Stadium |
Jan. 4 8:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
| AT&T Cotton Kansas State vs. Arkansas |
Arlington, Texas Cowboys Stadium |
Jan. 6 8 p.m. |
FOX |
| BBVA Compass Bowl SMU vs. Pittsburgh |
Birmingham, Ala. Legion Field |
Jan. 7 1 p.m. |
ESPN |
| GoDaddy.com Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois |
Mobile, Ala. Ladd-Peebles Stadium |
Jan. 8 9 p.m. |
ESPN |
| Allstate BCS National Championship Game No. 1 LSU vs. No. 2 Alabama |
New Orleans Louisiana Superdome |
Jan. 9 8:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
Remember it’s a straight up pick but you can rank your confidence from 1 to 35. What other bowls are interesting you ask? Well, let’s start with the Big 12. Baylor and Washington look good for the Alamo Bowl, thanks to Robert Griffin III’s Hesiman win. Oklahoma playing Iowa for the first time in forever in the Insight Bowl sees Sooner head coach Bob Stoops head to his alma mater. What other games look good? How about the Outback Bowl with Georgia taking on Michigan State, another version of the BCS snub bowl. That’s about it for me. The others are decent but they just don’t jump out to me. Come back every Monday from here on out, though and we’ll go over the picks.
The teams have been announced that cards played out on the table. The big hand is lame this year but the side bets are sexier. That’s right the regular season is over and now we are flipping over to bowl season. There were some snubs as usual, but the Big 12 lineup of bowls still looks pretty strong. The Cotton Bowl is right up there with the BCS bowls in terms of interesting match ups. Kansas State vs Arkansas, or Big 12 vs SEC, like it should be. Call your bets and flop on over to this week’s Crib Sheet.
Continue reading Crib Sheet: The Chips Have Fallen Into the Bowls
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Another fat week of the Crib Sheet. I know you haven’t had enough. Media Days have finally kicked off so it will be another month before real football kicks off. Bask in the light, people, and let’s start ramping up for another season. First, the Crib Sheet: