by Pete Fiutak

Updated: July 25, 2008, 12:43 PM EST 21 comments

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After a stunning down-the-stretch collapse — losing five of their final six games — to blow a nice 4-2 start that included a win over Texas, the Wildcats had to do something drastic to get in the Big 12 title mix. Mission accomplished.

It's not like the expectations are the same in Manhattan as they are in Lincoln or Austin, but for a program that grew into a power under Bill Snyder, only to fall flat during the end of his reign, just getting back among the top teams in the North is the goal. If bringing in the ready-made talent doesn't work, it might be back to square one. The future has been mortgaged to win now.

Eight starters are back on offense, and while only five are back on defense, there's plenty of all-around experience coming back to form a nice base to work around. Added to the mix are a slew of junior college transfers in this year's recruiting class that completely changed the face of the team.

The Wildcats have done it by loading up with new ready-made players ready to challenge for starting jobs, like receivers Attrail Snipes and Aubrey Quarles. A total of 19 JUCO transfers were brought in, making KSU the biggest wildcard in the crazy Big 12 North.

Combine the influx of young talent with the experience of head coach Ron Prince, who now has two years under his belt, and the program should be far more prepared to keep moving forward. Young coaches almost always make mistakes as they try to learn the ins and outs, especially in a league like the Big 12 with so many veteran coaches. More than anything else, he'll need to use his experience to get his defense to come around.

The numbers were staggering down the stretch. Oklahoma State ran for 329 yards and cranked out 510 yards of total offense. Nebraska threw for 519 yards and seven touchdowns. Missouri put up 427 yards of offense and six touchdowns. Fresno State went for 549 yards and six scores. Nothing was working.

Now there will be major changes after the 3-4 scheme didn't work. Prince has closed off practices, pass rushing terror Ian Campbell will be an end again instead of a hybrid linebacker/end, and, of course, the junior college guys will help immensely.

It still might take one more year to fully come together and for the mix of old and new players to blend, but this will be a very dangerous team to watch out for.

What to look for on offense: The transfers, part one. Last year, the offense needed the JUCO players to help boost the line. This season, the new guys will provide more weapons for QB Josh Freeman. Receivers Aubrey Quarles, Brandon Banks, Adrian Hilburn and Attrail Snipes are very fast, very good producers who could instantly take over starting spots. Keithen Valentine was a walk-on this spring who grabbed a second-string running back spot going into the fall. The line gets help from Wade Weibert, a starting left guard, and Edward Prince will work at tackle.

What to look for on defense: The transfers, part two. The switch back to a 4-3 is the biggest key as it should allow Ian Campbell to be the player who dominated the Big 12 in 2006, but the big help to improve the dying D will come from the new guys. The new star isn't from the JUCO ranks, but from Virginia. Olu Hall was a big-time recruit for the Cavaliers who should now grow into a major NFL prospect. Grant Valentine, Hansen Sekona and Ulia Pomele will be major factors at linebacker, Daniel Calvin is a run-clogging tackle, and Dustin Bell is a ball-hawking defensive back.

This team will be much better if ... it can keep teams under 250 yards passing. The Wildcats held Auburn to 229 yards through the air and almost pulled off the upset. They were 5-1 in the other games when they held the opponent under 250, and 1-4 when allowing more.

The Schedule: The team should be better, and it should show right away with a decent start. Playing North Texas, Montana State (which would've been Fresno State if the Wildcats didn't wuss out of the date) and UL Lafayette in September will do that, but there's also a mid-week, nationally televised game at Louisville. The big problem overall is the timing of the open dates. There's one on Sept. 13, and then it's 10 games in 10 weeks with a brutal stretch of four road games in a five-week span. The home date in the midst of the road run: Oklahoma, followed up by trips to Kansas and Missouri. On the plus side, the final two games are at home against Nebraska and Iowa State.

Best Offensive Player: Junior QB Josh Freeman. Thrown to the wolves as a true freshman, he wasn't bad, but he threw too many picks. Last year he grew into the job, and when he had to bomb away to keep up in shootouts, he did. He threw for 200 yards or more in every game but the win over Texas, and he was over 250 yards eight times including a 404-yard, three touchdown performance in the loss to Oklahoma State.

Best Defensive Player: Senior DE Ian Campbell. The Big 12's new superstar after an 11.5-sack 2006 season was then moved into a linebacker/end in the 3-4 scheme. While he had more space to move, it also allowed more blockers to get to him and prevent him from getting into the backfield on a regular basis. Now he'll be back with his hand on the ground where he'll be too quick off the ball for most tackles.

Key player to a successful season: Junior RB Leon Patton ... if he's on the team. He was convicted of misdemeanor theft after swiping two video games. There are options if Patton isn't back, but assuming he is, he needs to be the star of the running game like last year's 1,106-yard, 12-touchdown back James Johnson. In a perfect world, the Wildcats have more offensive balance, but at 5-foot-7 and 187 pounds, he might not be a workhorse. He's a speed back who makes things happen when he gets the ball in space, and if he can crank out at least 15 quality touches per game, the offense will be far better.

The season will be a success if ... the Wildcats get to a bowl game ... and win it. That might not seem like a major goal, but considering how strong the Big 12 is, and with Texas Tech and Oklahoma to play from the South, getting to the post-season would be a good bounce-back year. Winning the game will be vital, too, considering the Cats lost their last two post-season games and haven't won one since 2002. The team has won 18 games against D-I/FBS teams over the past four years and owns one winning season in the last four. Getting above .500 is a must.

OFFENSE

There's certainly an interesting mix of talent for new offensive coordinator James Franklin to play around with. The line is experienced, deep and talented, the running backs are fast, the receiving corps really fast, and QB Josh Freeman is a rising junior with 20 starts under his belt. The big issue will be the experience of the skill players with top RB James Johnson and All-America WR Jordy Nelson gone. There are fantastic prospects who look the part, but can they play? If nothing else, Freeman will get plenty of time to bomb away. Scoring and yards won't be a problem, but it would be a big plus if there was more balance. KSU had to throw out of necessity, the defense gave up points in bunches. Freeman can handle the work, but the more help he gets, the better.

Quarterbacks: Josh Freeman is growing into an elite talent. While the team didn't have a good year, it might have been a good thing. All the problems with the defense and all the points allowed gave Freeman a chance to fire, fire, and keep firing. No, the wins weren't there, but he got a lot of work in and should be a more complete quarterback now that he knows what he's doing. The backups are questionable, at best, with Carson Coffman and Tysyn Hartman each needing work.

Running Backs: The potential is there for a big year if all the home run hitters can find a little room to move. Leon Patton, Dee Bell and Justin Woods can all fly, and cranking out big runs needs to be what the running game is all about with defenses looking to mainly deal with the passing game. Patton is too small to be a 25-carry back, so it might be Thomas or top freshmen Logan Dold and Kwamaine Brown who get into the rotation early on. Throw new recruits Jarell Childs and Kenny Session into the mix and KSU has a slew of interesting options. With five new backs on the team this season, not including spring sensation Keithen Valentine — a walk-on — the competition for the backup jobs should be fierce.

Receivers: The KSU receiving corps certainly looks the part with a combination of size, athleticism, and a whole bunch of speed, but for all the potential from the big-time class of recruits, there has to be production to replace the jaw-dropping All-America season from Jordy Nelson. Deon Murphy is a sure thing, and then the hope is for strength in numbers. Out of all the central casting receiver recruits like transfers Aubrey Quarles to Attrail Snipes to Brandon Burks, to the 6-3 Lamark Brown, there has to be one or two top players to count on. Tight end Jeron Mastrud is on the verge of becoming an All-Big 12 star.

Offensive Line: A major issue two years ago, now the Wildcats might have one of the strongest front lines in the Big 12, at least when it comes to pass protection. Alesana Alesana and Penisini Liu are fantastic tackles, there are options at the three interior spots, and there's more competition on the way with JUCO transfers Edward Prince and Wade Wiebert good enough to start from day one. Expect this to be one of the team's biggest strengths.

DEFENSE

It didn't work. Defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar's switch to a 3-4 generated a little bit of pressure, but not enough, and the D got worse as the season went on. However, there's a chance for a major, major turnaround with pass-rushing terror Ian Campbell moving back to end after languishing last year as an outside linebacker, the return of All-Big 12 candidate Joshua Moore at corner after spending last season out with academic issues, and a mega-upgrade in talent. Virginia transfer Olu Hall and JUCO transfers Ulla Pomele and Hansen Sekona will make a huge difference at linebacker. Junior college pickups Blair Irvin and Billy McClellan will help the corners, and Daniel Calvin could instantly become the team's best tackle. If everything comes together, the potential is there for this to be a killer defense by the end of the year.

Defensive Line: The Wildcats lost most of the production from last year's front three, but they're going to be better up front with Ian Campbell moving from linebacker back to end and a slew of JUCO transfers helping out the returning crop of veterans. Having Campbell up front should alone make the defense better, and if true sophomores Gabe Crews and Xzavier Stewart, and still-developing senior Chidubamu Abama, each take a big step up in their development, the line could be devastating. With the addition of big JUCO transfers Daniel Calvin and John Finau, the Wildcats have an abundance of tackles. There's more than enough to play around with in the middle, while one or two true inside players will have to play a hybrid tackle/end spot.

Linebackers: The idea was to turn the linebacking corps loose in the 3-4 alignment and have a slew of guided missiles running around wreaking havoc. It didn't exactly work out that way. Now, Ian Campbell moves back to end from an outside spot and three newcomers to the mix, Virginia transfer Olu Hall and JUCO stars Ulla Pomele and Hansen Sekona, will play key roles. There are already some good, if not great, pieces in place in Reggie Walker, John Houlik and Eric Childs, but for this group to rock, the new faces have to be fantastic from day one.

Secondary: Easily the team's biggest disappointment, the Wildcats got bombed last year, especially over the second half of the season, giving up 13 touchdown passes with no interceptions in the final three games, but the secondary should get an instant upgrade with the return of Joshua Moore and JUCO transfer Blair Irvin ready to shine at corner. As long as safeties Chris Carney and Gary Chandler take a step up in their production against the pass, there's a chance for a night and day turnaround. There were decent backups last year, but now there's talented depth.

Special Teams: The big question was whether steady placekicker Jeff Snodgrass could be replaced, and all senior Brooks Rossman did was hit 22 of 28 field goals, including a 52-yarder against Colorado. He has decent range, but he isn't consistent from beyond 40 yards, nailing 18 of 19 shots from 39 yards and in. The big loss is punter Tim Reyer who averaged a whopping 44.5 yards per kick, forced 13 fair catches and put 22 inside the 20. While there are several options, like receiver D.J. Fulhage and Jared Parker and Josh Cherry, the job will likely go to George Pierson, who averaged 43.2 yards for Tyler JC in Virginia. KSU led the nation in punt returns thanks to Deon Murphy and Jordy Nelson. Murphy averaged a whopping 17.5 yards per try and should earn plenty of preseason all-star honors. Kickoff returns were an issue last season, but Leon Patton wasn't bad while averaging 22.2 yards.