Kansas State Wildcats
2001 record: 6-6 (3-5)
Coach: Bill Snyder (14th year, 105-49-1)
Starters returning: 4 offense, 7 defense, 2 kickers

Outlook: There was a time, early in Bill Snyder's tenure at KSU, that a 6-6 record would be cause for unrestrained jubilation not the wringing of hands and quiet whispers.

That was when the Wildcats were considered the dregs of college football, not a Big 12 power, which they were until a 6-6 record in 2001 started people wondering if the Wildcats' remarkable run was over.

	Around The Big 12
	Baylor Bears
	Colorado Buffaloes
	Iowa State Cyclones
	Kansas Jayhawks
	Kansas State Wildcats
	Missouri Tigers
	Nebraska Cornhuskers
	Oklahoma Sooners
	Oklahoma State Cowboys
	Texas Longhorns
	Texas A&M Aggies
	Texas Tech Red Raiders

"We gravitate where we focus,'' Snyder said. "If we focus on the past, there's a darn good chance we'll be 6-6."

Snyder prefers to look at the positives, which include the return of seven starters on defense, including all four defensive linemen from a front that allowed only 96.5 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Linebacker Josh Pierce and cornerback Terence Newman are candidates for postseason national honors, meaning the defensive tradition should continue.

Injuries forced KSU to start nine different offensive linemen in eight different combinations, which should pay dividends this year. Line stability would help a rebuilding run game, which is looking for new starters at halfback and fullback after averaging a school-record 257.7 yards rushing per game.

Key game: Texas comes into Manhattan on Oct. 19 a week after its annual bloodletting against Oklahoma in Dallas. The 'Horns have never beaten Kansas State in Big 12 play and, given the emotional toll of the game against the Sooners, could be ripe for the picking. A win over a once-beaten or unbeaten Longhorn team could do wonders for the Wildcats as they claw to stay in the Big 12 upper crust.

Keep an eye on: Darren Sproles. Small (5-7, 170) but speedy, he averaged 7.5 yards a carry -- when healthy. Injuries limited him to only six games, but he's the logical choice to replace tailback Josh Scobey, who ran for a school-record 1,263 yards last year.

It's a good year if . . . There isn't a quarterback controversy. Neither Ell Roberson or Marc Dunn separated himself from the other last year, and the two go into this season battling for the job. Roberson was KSU's second-leading rusher last year with 643 yards, a plus if he hadn't passed for only 855 yards in 10 starts. Dunn was considered the better passer and he only had a 49.1 completion percentage. Snyder desperately needs either Dunn or Roberson to take a giant step forward and seize the starting job.

Mark Wangrin covers the Big 12 for the San Antonio Express-News.