Winners and Losers: A good finish to 2023 for Kansas State
KSOÂ covers the biggest winners and losers in the world of Kansas State and college athletics.
Winners
1.) Kansas State: It was important for morale for Kansas State to knock off NC State and take home the Pop-Tarts Bowl trophy. Going into the offseason on a high note can help maintain the culture and stem any last-minute exoduses as well.
2.) Christmas: Before celebrating via Christmas songs in the locker room at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Jerome Tang and K-State knocked off Wichita State for the third consecutive season.
3.) Wildcats: Not the Kansas State Wildcats. After destroying Oklahoma in the fourth quarter, Jedd Fisch and Arizona are the Alamo Bowl champs and could be the favorite to win the Big 12 in their first year in the league.
4.) Braet: He’s the Director of Recruiting, and despite losing Collin Klein, K-State finished well and hung onto all of their commits.
5.) Nebraska: Flipping the top quarterback in the country from Georgia is a big deal no matter how you slice it. Dylan Raiola is a Husker.
Losers
1.) Sooners: Nobody is entering a league in a worse spot than Brent Venables and Oklahoma. He may have made a mistake when he back-filled the departure of Jeff Lebby with Seth Littrell. His phenom freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold led an offense that committed six turnovers and now they have to do it in the SEC when they couldn’t make the league title in the Big 12.
2.) Linton: The Kansas State president may have to hide some more after seeing Nae’Qwan Tomlin just produce 15 points and 15 rebounds off the bench for Memphis in only 23 minutes.
3.) Bowls: I’m with Kirby Smart. Can we fix this? The solution isn’t to dissolve bowl games but it is to make them meaningful enough to where Florida State isn’t so shredded that they have nothing to give when facing Georgia in the Orange Bowl.
4.) Napier: It wasn’t just losing to K-State for defensive lineman Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder. Florida lost a few of their top commits, lost out for others and star running back Trevor Etienne entered the transfer portal and will play for rival Georgia next season. Nobody’s seat will be hotter than that of Billy Napier next season. He’s just fortunate to have hung onto quarterback DJ Lagway.
5.) Class of 2023 Quarterbacks: None of them have played as well as Kansas State true freshman Avery Johnson.
