The Remainder of The New Year’s Six

Alabama Crimson Tide (5) vs. Kansas State Wildcats (9)

Alabama once again found itself among the top of the AP Top 25 rankings throughout the course of the year but missed out on the playoffs by one spot. Many of their fans were glued to their phones or televisions when the selection committee chose the top four teams to compete in the College Football Playoff but were disappointed when they didn’t hear Alabama called as a part of that group. Some thought that they may be able to sneak in due to losses by USC and TCU, but the committee didn’t see it as enough to add them to the top four. 

Many experts cited their pair of losses, one being to Tennessee on a game-winning field goal that finished the game with a score of 52-49, and the other being to LSU on a two-point conversion in overtime that concluded the game with a 32-31 score. Instead, this talented roster finds themselves in the Sugar Bowl, preparing to face the Kansas State Wildcats from the Big 12. 

Head Coach Nick Saban has led this group under his reign and has managed to bring in good recruits and coach a roster overflowing with talent each year. While some years might not be as great as others, the expectations, standards, and image that he has created around this football program are second to none.

Quarterback Bryce Young has continued to fill up the stat sheet as the signal caller for Alabama. Through the entirety of the season, he had just over 3,000 yards and 27 touchdowns. Young has also had the help of a strong running back room which is headlined by Jahmyr Gibbs. Gibbs has put up over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns from scrimmage. His ability to do well on the ground and as a receiving running back has made him a matchup nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators. One of his more impressive performances of the season was when he ran for 206 yards and had two touchdowns on the ground in a big 49-26 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks. 

While the offense has found a lot of success thanks to Young and Gibbs, the defense has been inconsistent at points throughout the season. This side gave up a decent amount of points in matchups against Tennessee, Arkansas, LSU, and Auburn. If Alabama’s defense were to let Kansas State do what it wanted on the offensive end, it could put Alabama in a tough spot come crunch time. Alabama will need to bring their best on both sides of the ball to find success against a sneaky-good Kansas State team.

The Wildcats come into this meeting against the Crimson Tide with a 10-3 record and are coming off a thrilling 31-28 overtime win vs. TCU in the Big 12 Championship. Throughout the season, the Wildcats have been supported by junior running back Deuce Vaughn who racked up 1,425 yards on the ground and 11 touchdowns from scrimmage over the course of the season. Vaughn has shown that he can take over the game on any Saturday, with over 100 rushing yards in 8 of his 13 games. 

The Wildcats have also had the leadership of Head Coach Chris Klieman from the sideline who has had over 11 years of experience as head coach. He’s developed a winning culture in Manhattan over his first few years and continues to find and develop good talent. Over his first four seasons at the helm, Coach Klieman has had three winning seasons—the only exception being during COVID-19 when the Wildcats went 4-5. The example and expectations that he has built for this program play a big role in the success they have had this season. 

The Wildcats have also had a change in quarterback midway through the season due to injury. Adrian Martinez was splendid through his first 9 games, with 16 touchdowns from scrimmage and leading the Wildcats to an adequate 6-3 record. Martinez proved he could dominate through the air and on the ground, with ten of his sixteen touchdowns coming off of rushes. After Martinez went down with a lower-body injury, Will Howard was able to keep the ship afloat and had 15 passing touchdowns with three more on the ground. He also put up 1,423 passing yards. With good quarterback play, a strong game from Deuce Vaughn, and a well-qualified coaching staff, the Wildcats will push Alabama to its limits. 

Brett: I see Kansas State winning this game by a score of 37-34. I think that Alabama will be too caught up in not making the College Football Playoff and not have the strongest focus which will hurt them. I predict that Deuce Vaughn will go off and rip apart the Alabama defense with his powerful running.

Brooks: Alabama is by far the more talented team in this encounter. However, as Brett said, the buy-in may not be as high for the Crimson Tide as in years past because of missing the playoff. Kansas State will also be energized by the return of Adrian Martinez. Because of that, I have the Wildcats getting a 33-31 victory.