Kansas State is expected to finish second in the Big 12

According to media outlets covering the Big 12, Kansas State faces a heated battle for the conference crown with newcomer Utah this fall.

K-State was voted second in the poll with 19 first-place votes, just behind conference favorite Utah (20).

Oklahoma State finished third with 14 votes, while Kansas finished fourth (5).

There are many reasons why K-State should be in contention for the crown this season. Coach Chris Klieman has a long history of building championship teams, and this season he may have his best all-around team since he arrived at K-State.

Second, K-State has second-year quarterback Avery Johnson. He’s a threat with both his legs and his arms. He should only get better as the season goes on, just from his experience alone.

And then there’s junior running back DJ Giddens, one of the best in the country. Giddens ran for 1,226 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.

On defense, senior linebacker Austin Moore is a disruptive playmaker, providing energy to the traditionally strong defensive unit.

But the road to the conference title game is anything but easy. K-State has tough games ahead of it in Colorado, West Virginia and Iowa State. Iowa State was picked sixth, West Virginia seventh.

And even though Colorado is projected to finish 11th in the 16-team conference, the atmosphere in Boulder is electric just because of the presence of coach Deion Sanders and son Shedeur Sanders, the starting quarterback. Colorado is looking to prove it’s not one of the conference’s bottom teams.

David Boyce is a contributing writer for K-State On SI. You can reach him at [email protected].

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