Before we begin, a brief personal note. As I sit down to write this on the opening Thursday night of college football season, it occurs to me that I’ve been writing game previews for 11 years on this site. That’s more than a little difficult to believe.
K-State faces a familiar season-opening opponent. The Wildcats played the South Dakota Coyotes in 2015’s season opener. If you haven’t managed to block the memory of 2015 from your mind yet, then here’s a quick refresher: new starter Jesse Ertz blew out his knee on the first play from scrimmage and K-State needed a miracle against West Virginia in the regular-season finale to get bowl eligible.