Winners and Losers: Kansas State to send four to NFL combine

KSO covers the biggest winners and losers in the world of Kansas State and college athletics.

Winners

1.) Bat Cats: A 2-1 weekend on the diamond (with wins over Boston College and Georgetown) means Pete Hughes and Kansas State remain in the top 25. A big showdown with Arizona State in Tempe looms.
2.) Big Ten and SEC: I think everyone realizes that there’s a Power Two in college athletics for the most part. Not that the Big 12 or even ACC are being considered second class citizens, but they are a rung below the Big Ten and SEC. And those commissioners are capitalizing on that power to try and help mold the future of college sports (and further their stranglehold on the money and championships. Tony Pettiti and Greg Sankey will form an advisory board to attempt to charter the next moves forward, which also shows a lack of confidence in NCAA president Charlie Baker.
3.) Four to Indy: It is the second year in a row that K-State will send four players to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. The Wildcats will be represented by Cooper Beebe, KT Leveston, Ben Sinnott and Khalid Duke.
4.) One back: After a win over UCF (following the road loss at Iowa State), Jeff Mittie has Kansas State just one back in the Big 12 standings. That is because Oklahoma fell to West Virginia in Morgantown. But that doesn’t mean the Wildcats have an easy path. A home bout with the Mountaineers on Wednesday is essentially an elimination game for the conference title. K-State is in a three-way tie for second with both West Virginia and Texas. All three schools are a game behind the Sooners. The Wildcats need to hope for the return (once again) of Ayoka Lee.
5.) Kansas State: Nobody should spike the football on making a recruit’s top 13 (LOL). But at least Kansas State makes the cut for elite defensive lineman Jayden Woods of Mill Valley when Kansas couldn’t.

Losers

1.) Three-point shooting: Most teams go through slumps at the three-point line, but it feels like K-State has been in a prolonged one. However, they hit a new low on Saturday with the fifth-worst performance from the perimeter since 1999. They were 1 of 15 from beyond the arc.
2.) Mizzou: Despite Arizona being in a massive amount of debt and a member of the Big 12 when Missouri is from the SEC, they were able to swipe away sitting Missouri athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois from Missouri for the same post. That is hard pill to swallow for the Tigers. She is viewed as one of the best in the country at her job.
3.) Dangerous scenario: Don’t look now but Iowa State has a chance to win the Big 12 men’s basketball title on the home floor of Kansas State. They travel to Manhattan to play the Wildcats in Bramlage Coliseum on March 9. The Wildcats need to win that game or hope the Cyclones stumble before they get there.
4.) Lance: Kansas has been hurt by the coaching carousel this offseason. First they lost their best coordinator in Andy Kotelnicki. The next to depart was their best recruiter in Jordan Peterson. The latest to leave Lance Leipold and Lawrence is the best position coach in assistant Scott Fuchs. He’s departing to coach the offensive line for the Tennessee Titans.
5.) Cyclones: The coaching carousel has hit Ames as well. Iowa State loses offensive coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase to the Los Angeles Rams. All three of K-State, the Jayhawks and the Cyclones leave their primary play-caller in the same coaching cycle.