Big 12 rewind: Collin Klein, Kansas State football have the nation's attention

Kansas State was content just staying atop the Big 12 football standings, but now the Wildcats are in prime position to have a better than good shot to become national champions. All they need to do is win out.

Bill Snyder 'pleased' with Kansas State's win over West Virginia

Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder was impressed with defense in a victory that became an offensive explosion.

Geno Smith tried to force West Virginia offense vs. Kansas State

Dana Holgorsen stated after the game that his starting quarterback, Geno Smith, tried to force it against Kansas State.

Collin Klein wins Walter Camp National Offensive Player of Week Award

Collin Klein and Geno Smith were expected to be the featured competitors on the national stage as all eyes descended on the Kansas State vs. West Virginia showdown on Saturday. After all, both quarterbacks have been mentioned in the Heisman Trophy hunt for much of the season. But only one quarterback got the memo as Collin Klein and the Wildcats dominated from the outset.

In the end, Klein put up 7 total touchdowns on the ground and in the air for a career-best performance on the biggest stage of all. That's enough to earn him the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week Award.

Interestingly enough, Geno Smith has already won this award twice himself this season, a sign of just how amazing Kansas State's defense was against such a talented quarterback.

Kevin Minter of LSU won this week's Defensive Player of the Week award in the Tigers' win over the Texas A&M Aggies with 12 tackles, 1 sack and 1 interception.

College BCS bowl projections: CBS picks Alabama, Kansas State in BCS National Championship Game

The latest college bowl projections are out from CBS Sports and they have very, very good news for fans of the Kansas State Wildcats. In fact, it's the very scenario that most fans would want to play out: a chance to contend for the BCS national championship against Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

"Alabama has been a strong No. 1 all season long," writes Jerry Palm. "With its win over West Virginia, Kansas State is now projected to be undefeated and finish No. 2."

It would be a true face-off of polar opposites -- a team that recruits the best players in the country for a SEC program with swagger and a charismatic coach. The Wildcats win with JuCo players and a seasoned, nonchalant head coach who gets his players to believe in themselves and the team concept. So far it's working on both sides.

The Wildcats just defeated West Virginia over the weekend and remain at No. 4 in the AP rankings. It will take a loss of Oregon within the Pac-12 to keep the Ducks out of the way.

College Football Rankings: Alabama, Oregon on top, Kansas State doesn't budge in AP Top 25

Kansas State doesn't move from their No. 4 spot in this week's rankings.

West Virginia's Dana Holgorsen: Collin Klein 'doesn't make any mistakes'

The Mountaineers head coach praised the Heisman frontrunner after Kansas State's blowout win.

Kansas State vs. West Virginia 2012: Wildcats fans react to decisive win over Mountaineers

Kansas State is looking to rise in the polls after a statement win over West Virginia.

Kansas State vs. West Virginia final: Wildcats win 55-14

The Kansas State Wildcats completely shut down the vaunted West Virginia Mountaineers offense en route to a 55-14 victory on the road Saturday night. The victory seems to firmly place Kansas State in the national discussion, as the Wildcats also have marquee wins over Oklahoma, Iowa State and Miami.

While it's typically the Mountaineers that put up big passing numbers, Wildcats quarterback Collin Klein was unusually prolific through the air on Saturday night. The senior carved up West Virginia's secondary for a season-high 323 passing yards and three touchdowns in addition to rushing for 41 yards and four touchdowns.

Considered a possible Heisman candidate coming into this game, West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith will likely have a hard time convincing voters after this week's clunker. The senior completed 21-of-32 passes for just 143 yards, he threw his first two interceptions of the season and he accumulated -15 yards on seven rushing attempts.

Other than a kickoff return touchdown by Anthony Cantele, it's difficult to find anything positive about West Virginia's performance in this game. The team totaled just 14 points for the second consecutive game, a miserable figure compared to the 52 points the Mountaineers averaged over their first five games.

Kansas State is now 7-0 this year, while West Virginia has dropped consecutive Big 12 conference games in brutal fashion. Over the past two weeks, the Mountaineers have been outscored 104-28.

Box Score Hero: Klein was the big star of the game with 364 yards and seven touchdowns through the air and on the ground combined, but Kansas State wideouts Tyler Lockett (nine catches, 194 yards, two touchdowns) and Chris Harper (six catches, 96 yards, one touchdown) stood out as well.

Rankings Ramifications: Given that No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Florida and No. 3 Oregon all won this week, it's hard to imagine Kansas State moving up from the No. 4 spot in spite of its blowout win. Expect the Mountaineers to fall hard after a second straight lopsided defeat, though.

But Did They Cover? West Virginia was actually favored by four points to win the game, so obviously the Mountaineers didn't cover.

For More On This Game: For more on K-State football, visit Kansas State blog Bring On The Cats, plus SB Nation Kansas City. For more on WVU football, visit West Virginia blog The Smoking Musket, plus SB Nation Pittsburgh.

Next Week's Schedule: The Wildcats are hosting the Texas Tech Red Raiders next week, while West Virginia has a bye before facing TCU on Nov. 3.

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This story was originally published on SB Nation.com.

Kansas State vs. West Virginia update: Wildcats up 52-7 in laugher

The No. 4 Kansas State Wildcats struck early in the third quarter and have continued to pour it on, taking a 52-7 lead over the No. 13 West Virginia Mountaineers into the fourth quarter.

The Wildcats got started by intercepting Geno Smith on the first play of the third quarter. Two plays later, Chris Harper caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Collin Klein for a 38-7 lead just a minute into the half. The interception was the first thrown by Smith this season.

Receiver Tramaine Thompson returned a punt to the Mountaineers' 16-yard line to set up Kansas State's next score, which was another Klein one-yard run. But the long drives weren't done either, as the next time Klein and company got the ball, they marched 77 yards on seven plays, scoring when Klein hit Tyler Lockett for a 20-yard touchdown pass.

Klein and Lockett have been the key connection, as 194 of the quarterback's 323 passing yards have been hauled in by Lockett. The Wildcats have outgained West Virginia 473-134 in total yards.

Kansas State vs. West Virginia update: Collin Klein, defense key 31-7 halftime lead

The Kansas State Wildcats have extended their lead and are up 31-7 at halftime on the road against the West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday night.

After building a 10-0 lead after one quarter, Collin Klein continued moving the ball at will for Kansas State, scoring rushing touchdowns on all three second-quarter possessions. The Wildcats racked up piles of yards in the process, as Klein's touchdown runs of one, eight, and one yard capped drives of 64, 75, and 78 yards.

K-State's offense moving the ball has combined with a stifling defensive effort, holding a usually-prolific West Virginia offense to just 74 yards in two quarters. Geno Smith is 9-for-13 for 62 yards. The Mountaineers' only points came when dynamic return man Tavon Austin returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score.

Klein is 14-for-16 for 226 yards and one touchdown, while leading the Wildcats in rushing with 47 yards and those three touchdowns on the ground. Kansas State totaled 346 yards in the first half.

Collin Klein enters Heisman Trophy conversation on national level with early West Virginia performance

It's early in the broadcast, but Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein is a one-man show against the West Virginia Mountaineers. The quarterback already has two rushing touchdowns and one deep touchdown throw to Tyler Lockett, and the No. 4 ranked Wildcats are killing the Mountaineers 24-0 in the second quarter. It's too early to call a victory, especially against such a powerful offense of WVU, but it's not too early to say that Klein picked the biggest stage of all to explode.

Check out his early numbers: 11 of 12 passing for 168 yards and 1 touchdown in the second quarter. 6 rushes for 29 yards and 2 rushing TDs.

Those are the sort of numbers coming against a top ranked contender that catapults a player into the national consciousness. While Klein has been listed alongside other Heisman favorites by sportswriters, especially those in the Midwest, Klein will become a household name for football fans after this game.

If K-State can put this away and Klein keeps up this type of impact, expect plenty of "Klein is a Heisman frontrunner" columns to come out.

GIF: Kansas State's Tyler Lockett stretches for a touchdown from Collin Klein

Collin Klein is good. Tyler Lockett makes him very good. While Klein needs no help with his ability to impact the game on the ground for Kansas State, check out the deep ball dimension that Lockett gives Klein in the passing game with this touchdown that has helped the Wildcats go up 17-0 over the West Virginia Mountaineers in the first quarter.

via assets.sbnation.com

Kansas State vs. West Virginia update: Wildcats up 10-0 after 1st quarter

The fourth-ranked Kansas State Wildcats have controlled both sides of the ball early and lead the No. 13 West Virginia Mountaineers 10-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Kansas State's touchdown came with just more than three minutes to play in the quarter when Collin Klein hit Tyler Lockett in the back corner of the endzone for a ten-yard touchdown pass. Lockett showed nice hands, getting his foot down for the score:

At quarter's end, Kansas State outgained West Virginia 138-16 in total yards. Geno Smith completed 2-3 passes for just 12 yards. Klein has put up big numbers though, passing 7-8 for 118 yards and a touchdown.

The Wildcats' other points came on their first drive of the game. On a third down from midfield, Klein found Lockett for a 31-yard pass, which eventually led to a 33-yard field goal from Anthony Cantele.

John Hubert is Kansas State's leading rusher after one frame with 20 yards on seven carries.

Kansas State vs. West Virginia TV schedule, game preview, odds and more

The Kansas State Wildcats travel to Morgantown on Saturday for a Big 12 clash with the West Virginia Mountaineers in Mountaineer Field. The No. 3 Wildcats are 6-0 this season -- the best start Kansas State has enjoyed in recent memory. Quarterback Collin Klein has been one of the main reasons for the team's success, throwing for 1,074 yards and seven touchdowns in 2012.

Last week, the Wildcats narrowly beat the Iowa State Cyclones, 27-21, due much in part to Klein accounting for 292 yards of offense (107 rushing).

West Virginia is trying to collect itself after the unexpected hammering it took against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The No. 13 Mountaineers were creamed from the beginning, going into halftime down 35-7, before eventually falling, 49-14.Geno Smith has been the Heisman Trophy favorite for much of the season, but his stock took a hit in the loss. Smith wasn't able to do much, completing just 29-of-55 for 275 yards.

Game time, TV channel: 7 p.m. ET, FOX

Point spread: West Virginia favored by 3 points

Check the national college football scoreboard right here, and look through SB Nation's many excellent college football blogs to find your team's community.

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This story originally appeared at SB Nation.

Bill Snyder says West Virginia 'is not just Geno Smith'

The West Virginia Mountaineers are synonymous with their greatest player: Geno Smith. To speak of WVU without speaking of Smith is rarely found, but as Kansas State faces off against West Virginia tonight for the Big 12 showdown of the year so far, the Wildcats are careful to dismiss the rest of the team.

Smith might be the MVP, but the Mountaineers are talented all around. That's something that K-State's head coach Bill Snyder focused on this week.

"They have a very talented football team, and it is not just Geno Smith," said Snyder. "They have extremely fine receivers. They have a very talented offense. They have good specialists. They have good return guys who also serve as wide receivers. I know their numbers have not been as good on defense, but they have been able to outscore people. They have been able to play well on defense when they have to."

It will be interesting to see how much the Wildcats practice and prepared for the entire team. Even if they can help limit Smith, the Mountaineers can impact the game in all facets of the game.

The Big 12 will find out what each team is made of when the two face off tonight at 7:00 p.m.

Geno Smith should air it out against Kansas State's defense

The Kansas State pass defense will have a difficult task ahead when facing Geno Smith and the high-octane West Virginia offense on Saturday.

Kansas State aims to stay perfect, but West Virginia has other intentions

Every Friday throughout the college football season, SB Nation staff writer Chip Rouse spotlights one game as the Big 12 Game of the Week and takes a close look at the strengths and weaknesses of each team and what to watch for in the game.

Kansas State Football: Starting defense is perfect example of Bill Snyder's ability to find talent

Bill Snyder rarely goes after or gets five star prospects to come to Kansas State yet he has his team in the Top Five of the BCS. The current starting defense reflects his ability to identify talent that others have missed.

Kansas State vs. West Virginia odds: Wildcats are underdogs versus the Mountaineers

Kansas State will travel to West Virginia as underdogs this Saturday.

2012 College Football Rankings: Kansas State No. 4 in latest BlogPoll

The undefeated Kansas State Wildcats (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) find themselves ranked No. 4 in this week's edition of the SB Nation BlogPoll. The Wildcats jumped two spots from last week.

Kansas State vs. West Virginia: Big 12 showdown could define season

Kansas State, West Virginia meet in pivotal Big 12 showdown on Saturday.