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It's game day in Manhattan! Texas has not won in Manhattan since 2002, but they have a one-game win streak over K-State now. Let's see how they handle all that long-term success against their erstwhile purple overlords. All that and more in today's Slate, but first If you're attending the game, or are in Manhattan but don't have tickets, be aware that the majority of the BOTC staff will be on site, including Jon (in his first appearance in Manhattan in... a long time), Derek, JT, KSUEMAW!, PurpleBrunette, Nugget, Kansas Slim, and -- although his presence will be somewhat limited due to other obligations -- Curtis. Details on what exactly we'll be doing pre-game are still a bit iffy; you'll want to check Jon's Twitter feed (@jonfmorse) and the Bring on the Cats Facebook page for updates during the day on Saturday. Even if our plans for some form of formal event fall through, we'll still be rampaging around Manhattan. We really look forward to meeting as many of you as we can if you're in town. Also, you can expect that a bunch of the BOTC crew will be somewhere Saturday nights to watch Game Four of the World Series, and the more the merrier. Again, details on that as they firm up. Don't miss Jon's all-important How to Watch post, with all the details on this game you could possibly need!BOTC INVADES MANHATTAN
Plenty of pre-game action here yesterday. First, Curtis Kitchen and the Roundtable Q&A opined on Kansas State winning the Big 12. Next, KSUEMAW! and PurpleBrunette brought us the Week 8 injury report, and TB kicked the tires about the Longhorns. Oh, and of course, there was BracketCat's crowdsourced Week 8 Top 25 poll.
"We own Texas" is a nice little mantra around Manhattan, but beating Texas is still a tall order, and Kansas State expects a tough test from the Longhorns today, as Kellis Robinett notes. So which streak will continue today? Chip Rouse thinks Texas can't overcome its Kansas State hex. Berry Tramel is at a loss to explain Kansas State's dominance of Texas. The Wildcats are one of only a handful of programs to have a winning record against Texas. The others? Notre Dame, Penn State and Southern Cal. That's some august company for Kansas State. On the other hand, Wendell Barnhouse of Big12Sports offers no opinions in his Week 9 preview, but touts both Tyrone Swoopes' sudden offensive production (800 yards of total offense in the last two games) and Texas' defense allowing only 163.9 passing yards per game. The folks at Horns247 think a 10-point spread is about right for this game, but also think Texas has a chance to pull off a victory in Manhattan because their defense is playing well, and because Charlie Strong has a different mindset, but mostly because an 11 AM start apparently doesn't give the purple faithful enough of a chance to get energized. They don't know us very well, do they? They should talk to Jake Trotter. In his Big 12 mailbag, he throws Curry Sexton some love, and gives the K-State-Auburn game the nod for best crowd/student section. Ken Corbitt, writing for the Topeka Capital-Journal, takes a closer look at the Longhorns' surging offense. The Collegian staff puts together a nice series of articles for each game day, and today is no different. First, there's a by-the-numbers breakdown of Kansas State. Then, an excellent piece on the views of the Texas coaching staff about the game, and finally, a great profile on Danzel McDaniel. My personal favorite though is this article on the team's Kansas natives and their need to prove themselves. Our friends at Barking Carnival also have a lot of K-State content this week. Those folks are pretty funny, and their K-State Pregamer and #KSUfacts posts are definitely worth reading. [Disclaimer: Bring On the Cats is not responsible for any damage to your laptop, monitor, or other electronic device(s) damaged by any laughter, spit take and other similar occurrences that result from reading the above-linked pieces] In the category of must-read articles is Barking Carnival's excellent piece on Bill Snyder: Coach of the Century. K-State is the early game today, but this is NOT your open thread for that game. A game thread will go up shortly. It may shock you to know this, but there are other teams in action today, though several conference teams are off this week. Here's your Big 12 slate for the day (all times Central, duh!) West Virginia at Oklahoma State (2:30 PM; ESPN/WatchESPN) As always, you can visit the College Football TV Schedule for all of your listing needs. Happy game day, everyone! ON YOUR TV DIAL
Texas Tech at TCU (2:30 PM; FOX/FoxSportsGo)