Paul Myerberg

USA TODAY Sports

Bill Snyder is older than our last three Presidents. One sitting President, Truman, and a Vice President, Lyndon Johnson, spoke on the campus of William Jewell College when Snyder was a quarterback-playing undergrad.

He's one of four coaches to lead a team into a stadium that bears his name, joining Bear Bryant, LaVell Edwards and Auburn's Ralph Jordan. It's his name, but shared: When asked about naming the stadium in his honor, Snyder told school officials, "If you are going to do it, name it after the people that I care about the most." And so Bill Snyder Family Stadium was born.

You know the numbers: Kansas State is 316-530-1 with any coach but Snyder stalking the sidelines – from Ira Pratt through Ron Prince – and 178-90-1 with Snyder, with four divisional championships, two conference championships, 12 national rankings and seven seasons with 11 or more wins.

He's in the midst of a career – and program – renaissance: Kansas State is 29-10 during the last three years, 20-7 in Big 12 play; the Wildcats went 39-45 from 2004-10.

Snyder has seen and done it all, pretty much, and serves as an invaluable resource on where college football has been, where it is today and where the sport is going, which does little to explain why, given three minutes to chat with the Kansas State coach in July, I spoke mostly about windbreakers.

Snyder fashion: Slacks, sneakers, glasses, gloves – hinging on temperature – and windbreakers. He's known for two tops in particular, one from a Cotton Bowl appearance and the second from a trip to the Fiesta Bowl.

You won't be surprised to know there's little thought that goes into the decision process: Snyder has other things to worry about, such as leading Kansas State through the Big 12, rather than today's windbreaker of choice.

"I just wear whatever's in my closet," he said. "That just happens to be what you pull out. I've heard the same comment. I wore a Cotton Bowl top one time for a bunch of years. I just wear what's there."

LAST YEAR'S PREDICTION :

Given all that the Wildcats have on the field, in reserve and on the sideline, I'd be surprised by anything less than 8-4. This is when the program really excels: K-State loves coming in under the radar. This is still a very dangerous team.

2013 RECAP :

In a nutshell: After a frustrating first half, Kansas State took a bye week, regrouped and charged into the postseason. Let's recall the start: K-State lost to North Dakota State in the opener, dropped back-to-back road games – Texas first, then Oklahoma State – and lost to Baylor, the eventual conference champions, to stand at 2-4 at the midway point. A week away worked some sort of wonders, aided by an easier slate, and allowed the Wildcats to win six of seven games and head into the offseason boiling with confidence. Five of the six wins, with TCU the exception, came by a double-digit margin; in the process, K-State became just the eighth team during the Bowl Championship Series era to begin 2-4 yet win eight games. Let's recall one more thing: Each of K-State's five losses came by 10 points or less.

High point: The Wildcats' most impressive win came against Texas Tech. Most satisfying: Kansas. K-State has taken five in a row in the series, the last four by a combined 151 points.

Low point: North Dakota State. Bill Snyder is winless in games played on the same day as Bill Snyder statue unveilings.

Tidbit: Last year's team sits in rare company. In total, 630 teams started 2-4 during the BCS era; of these 630 teams, just 49, or 7.78%, went on to reach a bowl game. It gets rarer: K-State is one of just 19 teams, or 3.01%, to win seven games during the regular season. Rarer still: As noted, the Wildcats were one of eight teams to win eight games in total – or 1.27% of all 2-4 teams.

Tidbit (turnovers edition): Kansas State was minus-nine in turnover margin in its five losses and plus-nine its eight wins, which helps sum up nicely Snyder's blueprint for offensive success. Since the start of the 2010 season, K-State is 4-11 when losing the turnover margin and 32-5 when tied or ahead.

ARBITRARY TOP FIVE LIST :

Iowa assistants, 1983

1. Bill Snyder

2. Bob Stoops

3. Barry Alvarez

4. Kirk Ferentz

5. Dan McCarney

PLAYERS TO WATCH :

Offense: For the first time in Snyder's second tenure – and perhaps during his run altogether, and correct me if I'm wrong – Kansas State's offense will take its cue from the passing game. That's largely due to personnel: K-State is blessed with one of the nation's best receivers and a quarterback growing in experience and confidence, now a second-year starter, while the running game retools without last year's two leading options. It's simply a shift: Rather than run to pass, the Wildcats will pass to run – like the majority of the Big 12, in fact, and perhaps still pound the football to a stronger degree than most of the team's conference peers. Snyder-coached teams will always run the football; Snyder-coached teams will also always play to their strengths.

This year's strength is the passing game. Senior Jake Waters enters 2014 with three crucial assets in his favor: one, a receiver of sublime ability; two, his strong close to last season; and three, the typical leap seen from K-State's second-year starters. Waters turned his season around to match the Wildcats' own strides – not a coincidence, by the way – during the second half, tossing 14 touchdowns against just four picks during the second half of the regular season and bowl game. He pushed the ball downfield as well as any quarterback in the conference: Waters averaged 9.95 yards per attempt in his last seven games. His own improvement is doubled by the steps normally taken by the Wildcats' returning starter under center, a fact illustrated by the matching leap made by Collin Klein, for example. Though Daniel Sams' running ability will impossible to replicate, I expect Waters to be one of the top three quarterbacks in the Big 12.

It's funny to question the receiver corps, given that K-State has one of the nation's best players – let alone one of the nation's best wide receivers – in senior Tyler Lockett (81 receptions for 1,262 yards), an ankle-breaking, precision-running, death-to-all-defensive-backs weapon of the utmost quality. The Wildcats' issue is proven depth beyond Lockett and returning starter Curry Sexton (39 for 446), a somewhat limited but very capable possession receiver. What K-State needs is one-year improvement from junior Kyle Klein, who will inhabit a far larger role in the passing game, and from a trio of sophomores: Deante Burton, Lucas Munds and Steven West. The rotation will also include Andre Davis, a speedster off the JUCO ranks.

That every option outside of Lockett, Sexton and Klein lacks experience is an issue, obviously, but let's focus on the four significant positives: one, Lockett's an All-American; two, Klein seems ready to embrace the expectations; three, Burton and Jones are field-stretching athletes; and four, the only cornerbacks in college football who can cover Lockett – and there's only two or three – aren't on K-State's schedule.

The line is going to be outstanding along the interior but a little uneasy on the edges until a pair of JUCO transfers acclimate to the system. The inside is in sturdy hands with senior center B.J. Finney, one of the nation's best at the position, and guards Cody Whitehair and Boston Stiverson – with Whitehair an all-league lock and Stiverson experienced enough to fare well in a full-time starting role. While Whitehair could slide to left tackle if needed, K-State will roll – at first, at least – with JUCO transfer A.J. Allen, who enrolled in June; Allen became even more vital after Aaron Bennett or Luke Hayes failed to grab hold of the position during the spring. Hayes, also a JUCO transfer, could be a better fit at right tackle, where the Wildcats are also eyeballing junior Matt Kleinsorge.

Defense: The front four contains the reigning conference defensive player of the year, a ready-to-explode returning starter at tackle, a seasoned veteran ready to resume a starting role at end, a JUCO transfer who might make an immediate impact and very nice depth, if a touch unproven. In short, it's one of the best lines in the Big 12. The star is senior end Ryan Mueller (62 tackles, 11.5 sacks), who might make less of a statistical impact this fall but remain the key to the whole deal, due to the attention paid his way by opposing offensive lines. His ability to draw attention makes things easier in the middle, where junior Travis Britz (37 tackles, 6.5 for loss) stands as one Big 12 lineman set to take an enormous step forward as a second-year starter – he's ready to be an all-league pick, I think.

The two open spots will feature healthy competition. I'd say end Marquel Bryant is set to reclaim the starting job he lost early last season, but a rotation seems more likely: Bryant will start, but Jordan Willis' ability to get to the quarterback makes him an invaluable cog on the outside; Laton Dowling is in the mix, but he seems unlikely to provide much of an impact. The tackle spot alongside Britz is even more heated, thanks in some part to JUCO transfer Terrell Clinkscales' eligibility. He has some catching up to do, meaning senior Valentino Coleman is probably the opening-game starter, but Clinkscales will make a strong push for a major role before the heart of Big 12. Between Britz, Coleman, Clinkscales, Matt Seiwert, Demonte Hood and walk-on Will Geary, the interior is very impressive.

Mueller is one of two former walk-on success stories along the front seven, joining senior linebacker Jonathan Truman (89 tackles), the leader of the second level. Truman might be the only returning starter among the unit – he's the guy on the weak side – but depth seems improved, in a way, thanks to the arrival of JUCO transfers Dvonta Derricott and Isaiah Riddle. For now, both are sitting in reserve: K-State has Truman on the weak side, sophomore Will Davis in the middle and junior Charmechealle Moore on the strong side, and seems very comfortable with this as the starting threesome. Having said that, don't sleep on Derricott making a serious push for snaps on the strong side or in the middle – essentially, the staff feels like this group goes at least five and perhaps six deep with reliable contributors, and it's hard to disagree.

There's clearly some loss of star power in the secondary with the loss of three starters – one, free safety Ty Zimmerman, was one of the nation's best – but there's some reason for optimism. One: K-State is going to get after the quarterback. Two: Dante Barnett (75 tackles, 4 interceptions), a sophomore, is going to be an all-conference pick. Three: Dylan Schellenberg started two games in Zimmerman's stead last fall, making an interception against Kansas, so he's ready for the job at free safety – and if not, K-State could turn to former JUCO transfer Travis Green. Four: I think Randall Evans (59 tackles, 2 interceptions) could do a really nice job on the outside, though that would keep him away from the jack-of-all-trades roll he filled – very well, mind you – for the Wildcats a season ago. Two incoming JUCO transfers, Danzel McDaniel and Jesse Mack, and one former JUCO addition, Nate Jackson, could really allow K-State to do some different things at the position.

Special teams: K-State gets it done on special teams, as you might expect. This year's biggest task is finding a new punter, with redshirt freshmen Mitch Lochbihler and Nick Walsh battling to replace Mark Krause. Everything else remains the same: Jack Cantele and Ian Patterson will handle kicking, with Cantele doubling on kickoffs, and Lockett is greased lightning in the return game.

POSITION(S) TO WATCH :

Running back: Sams is gone, as noted, as is John Hubert, the second-most productive back in program history. What's left: DeMarcus Robinson, a senior with the only college carries of any option; sophomore Charles Jones, who took most first-team snaps during the spring while Robinson was sidelined with an injury; fellow sophomore Jarvis Leverett, who hasn't played a down; and true freshman Dalvin Warmack, perhaps the gem of February's signing class. K-State has a really solid fullback in Glenn Gronkowski – he's athletic enough to make a difference as a receiver – but I'm not sure if he'll see any meaningful touches on the ground outside of short-yardage situations. What's clear: For the first time that I can remember, Snyder might opt for a true backfield-wide approach to the running game. That means Robinson, Jones, Leverett and perhaps even Warmack chip in to help carry the load, with Leverett the change-of-pace option and Warmack seeing more action as he begins to handle the details – protection and so forth.

GAME(S) TO WATCH :

Oklahoma: Baylor's a bigger game if the Wildcats get past OU in October, though the regular-season finale against the Bears might be meaningless should the Sooners gain the head-to-head tiebreaker – the finale would still big for OU, just not as big for K-State. The Wildcats also host Auburn in non-league play, with that matchup carrying huge implications not just for K-State's hopes of maintaining a national ranking but for the College Football Playoff, if you think about it.

SEASON BREAKDOWN & PREDICTION :

In a nutshell: The same rules apply: Sleep on Kansas State at your own risk. I look at the Wildcats and see a stronger team than a year ago, one more built for the year-long grind rather than needing time to ease into a rhythm, and I see a team with the coaching, experience, athleticism and overall talent to slide past Baylor and Oklahoma to secure the Big 12 championship. There's coaching, obviously: Snyder shows no extreme signs of slowing, in fact seems energized by his latest reclamation project, and it's clear that the entire roster has completely bought into the process after a period of transition following his return. He points, K-State follows.

Auburn and Baylor worry me. There are some issues in the secondary, which feels the brunt of the defense's offseason attrition, and I wonder if the Wildcats will have the tools along the back four to run with the Bears' offense – or the overall speed throughout the defense to go sideline-to-sideline with the Tigers. Those are individual games, however; by and large, K-State seems built to charge at double-digit wins during the regular season. I'm going to say nine wins, which leaves the possibility for losing two of three against the Bears, Tigers and Oklahoma, along with the odd slip-up game during conference play. The baseline is eight wins, basically, but part of me thinks the Wildcats are going to be within a game of the conference title heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.

Some issues on Snyder's plate: K-State is really unproven at running back, needs those JUCO transfers to take over at left and right tackle, needs JUCO help in reserve at linebacker and really seems unsettled – if still talented – at cornerback. That's enough to peg the Wildcats for third in the Big 12, I'd say. But you can easily see each situation resolve itself in the early going, particularly on offense. If the Wildcats can team Waters with a ball-control running game … well, watch out. This is going to be an interesting season, if familiar: K-State is the vanilla to Baylor's uniqueness and the plain-old to Oklahoma's flash, painting the Wildcats again as a sleeper that the rest of this conference can't afford to overlook. What happens when you overlook Snyder and K-State? You lose.

Dream season: Kansas State loses to Auburn in September but rolls through Big 12 play unscathed, capturing the program's second conference title in three years.

Nightmare season: The Wildcats lose to Auburn, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Baylor – oh, and Kansas.

UP NEXT :

Who's No. 16? This program has compiled more nine-win seasons than the rest of its divisional opponents have combined.