MANHATTAN, Kan. — Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman doesn't know what the Big 12 will look like once Oklahoma and Texas depart the conference and leave the league's eight remaining members to fend for themselves over the next few years.
But he is confident of one thing: the Wildcats will land on their feet.
"Kansas State is still going to play football," Klieman said during a news conference on Tuesday. "We're still going to play Power Five football and we're going to have a great schedule. I will let the people that are above me figure out how that's all going to happen."
Klieman is prepared to handle the uncertainty of conference realignment, because he has expected the landscape of major college sports to shift going as far back as five years ago when he was coaching at North Dakota State. That doesn't mean he wasn't surprised when the Longhorns and Sooners announced plans to leave for the SEC last month, but he didn't exactly faint upon hearing the news either.
Instead, he has tried to tackle the subject head on.
As questions began pouring in about the future of the Big 12 from fans, current players and potential recruits, Klieman has tried to respond as calmly and confidently as possible
"Many of our players probably won't even see the effect of it, to be honest with you," Klieman said. "I don't know how long Oklahoma and Texas are to play, if they will be here for one year or four years. I don't know. But we've told recruits that same thing. We're going to play Power Five football, we're going to get a great schedule and have an opportunity to compete for championships."
Klieman thinks K-State is well-positioned to survive conference realignment for several reasons.
"We're committed," Klieman said. "The administration is committed, the fan base is committed and the program is committed. We've got a new indoor (practice facility) coming. We've got some of the best facilities in college football. I'm trying to get our guys ready to go in the fall. That's been more my main emphasis right now, let the other people handle that stuff. But we've got great tradition here, a tradition of excellence, of top notch teams that are in the top-25, top-15, sometimes top-10 teams. I think we've got a great brand here."
Big 12 uncertainty has made things harder than usual on the recruiting trail for K-State coaches, but they managed to land a promising offensive lineman out of Colorado earlier this week.
The Wildcats can enhance their image by winning games during the upcoming season.
There is cautious optimism around Manhattan that K-State is poised to bounce back from the way things ended in 2020. The Wildcats closed out last season by losing five straight games and missing out on a bowl. But they were playing without starting quarterback Skylar Thompson. Now that he's back as a "super senior" and eight Division I transfers have been added to the roster, K-State seems capable of returning to its winning ways.
For now, Klieman wants his team to focus on that.
"Control what you can control," Klieman said, "and that's what we have right now. Right now, all those teams are playing. Are they going to be playing for three or four years? I don't know. But that's the only uncertainty. We're handling it and talking to recruits. They want to come and play for K State."
