Joe on K-State Sports

Football is almost here!  K-State is holding an open practice for fans this Saturday at 11:45.  You can view all of the details here:  https://www.kstatesports.com/news/2021/8/2/fans-invited-to-saturdays-k-state-football-practice.aspx

From 2016 to 2020, TCU has had the third-ranked recruiting class in the Big 12 behind Texas and Oklahoma. Their 2020 class was ranked number 23 in the country. The Horned Frogs are underperforming their recruiting ratings, not finishing higher than fifth in the Big 12 Conference since 2017. Is this the year TCU makes a push towards the top of the Big 12 and competes for the league championship? TCU returns junior quarterback Max Duggan, an experienced backfield and receiving corps, and three returning starters on the offensive line.  They lost some players on defense but have some key returning players and transfers and hope to have one of the best defenses in the league yet again. Vegas has set the TCU over/under at 7.5.  Let's take a closer look at the schedule and see how achievable this is for Gary Patterson's crew. September 4 vs. Duquesne         Duquesne is an FCS team that plays in the Northeast Conference.  They made their conference championship game in the spring, so

It's the beginning of the Steve Sarkisian era for the SEC-bound Texas Longhorns.  Vegas set the over/under on wins for the Longhorns at eight.  Texas is overrated every year and is usually ranked in a preseason poll when they have no business being ranked.  They almost always fail to do as well as expected.  That being said, let's take a look and see if eight wins are doable for them.  Here's the schedule.... September 4 vs. Louisiana Let's be honest.  Are we even sure that Steve Sarkisian shows up for the game?  Remember when he was the head coach at USC and he failed to show up at practice and was suspended and eventually fired?  Remember that according to his assistant coaches at USC, he was drunk during a game against Arizona State?  Look, I hope the guy has turned his life around, but until he shows up on the sideline I can't predict a win here. Prediction:  Loss. September 11 at Arkansas I foresee around a 24 point victory for the Razorbacks.  Don't think

  Gene Taylor and Richard Myers released the above statement regarding Oklahoma and Texas announcing they are leaving the Big 12.  While that statement alone doesn't give me a lot of confidence that K-State will be in a major conference going forward, Gene Taylor also released a video with Wyatt Thompson in which he dove into the situation in a bit more detail.  This made me feel a little bit better.... Where do you think the Cats end up when all is said and done?  Will the Big 12 stay together or disband?  Do the Pac 12 and Big 12 merge?  Or the AAC and the Big 12?  It's going to be interesting to follow in the next few years.

  Martin Gramatica was added to the Kansas State Football Ring of Honor in 2008.  He is undoubtedly the best kicker in K-State history and arguably one of the best kickers in NFL history.  He was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Kansas State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.  This was a lot of fun for me to write and I hope you enjoy learning a little bit more about Martin Gramatica. "Gramática was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the age of nine, he moved with his family to the United States. The family settled in LaBelle, Florida, east of Fort Myers. He was only interested in playing soccer at LaBelle High School, but his kicking precision attracted the attention of the football coach of the school. He invited Gramática to try out as the team's kicker." ...From "Ole," a sports newspaper in Argentina, February 11, 2009. JM:  Gramatica played only one year of high school football, his senior year.  He was 8 of 10 on field goals and k

It's year three of the Neal Brown era at West Virginia and Mountaineer fans are expecting improvement from their 4-4 conference and 6-4 overall record last season.   The offense appears to be pretty well set going into the fall, while their defense, great in 2020, has some holes to fill and quite a few question marks. The schedule isn't easy, especially the non-conference portion, with a trip to Maryland and a home game against Virginia Tech.  The major Sportsbooks have put their total win over/under at 6.5.  That  seems doable.  Let's take a closer look at their schedule. September 4 at Maryland Maryland was picked by the media to finish 5th in the Big 10 East division this season. I don't know much about them, but I believe the Mountaineers will take care of business and win despite this being a road game. Prediction: Win September 11 vs. LIU (Long Island University) Every West Virginia schedule I saw lists this game as "LIU."  I had to look up who "LI

It's year three of the Matt Wells era at Texas Tech, and there are more questions than answers about the Red Raiders going into this season.  They are replacing their starting quarterback and lost some other key players off of last year's team that went 4-6 on the season.  Oregon transfer Tyler Shough is expected to get the nod at quarterback after leading the Ducks to the Pac 12 championship last season. FanDuel has set the over/under on wins for the Red Raiders at five. At first glance, it looks doable.  Let's take a deeper dive.  September 4 vs. Houston, Houston, Texas (NRG Stadium)    Dana Holgorsen's Houston Cougars have struggled, finishing 4-8 in his first season and 3-5 in 2020.  Vegas thinks this game will be close, making Texas Tech a 2.5 point favorite.  I don't have a strong feeling on this one, so I'm going with Vegas. Prediction:  Win.                           September 11 vs. Stephen F. Austin Texas Tech should take care of Stephen F Austin easil