College Football Top 25: 10 non-ranked teams who could crack the late-season polls

Jan 2, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Jake Waters (15) warms up before the 2015 Valero Alamobowl against the UCLA Bruins at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

No. 8: Kansas State Wildcats

2014 Finish: 9-4, 7-2 Big 12

How Kansas State isn’t ranked in the preseason poll is beyond me. This is a team that finished 3rd in an ultra-tight Big 12 last season, and ended the year ranked 18th in the final AP poll. What does Bill Snyder have to to do get some respect?

While its true the Wildcats are losing five to six key players or starters on both sides of the ball, we’ve seen this before in Manhattan, and Snyder always manages to reload and come back strong.

The question will be what will junior quarterback Joe Hubener bring to the table for Kansas State this year stepping in for Jake Waters, and will he find a rhythm with wide receivers Kody Cook and Deante Burton. Those two returning starters will have a lot to say about the success.

Defensively, the Wildcats finished 41st nationally in total defense, and 29th in total defense allowing just 23.2 points per game. Those numbers will have to remain close to the same or improve if the Wildcats want to find themselves in the hunt for the Big 12 title again.

Either way, this is a team that deserves national recognition and will undoubtedly be there when the season begins winding down.

Next: Minnesota