On Tuesday, Lake Kick’s Josh Pate predicted which college football teams would be on the College Football Playoff bubble.
Pate selected one Big 12 team that fils the category, the Kansas State Wildcats, as well as Clemson, Iowa, Penn State, and Missouri.
“The one that terrifies me is Kansas State,” Pate said. “Because every time I make a prediction about the Big 12 that doesn’t have Kansas State winning the thing, I think to myself, ‘Avery Johnson could be the player of the year in this conference,’ and I don’t want to be the guy who overlooked them. Do you understand the dynamic here? Kansas State has a quarterback who made Ohio State’s current starter leave because he’s better than him. That kid’s going to start for Ohio State and be pretty good.”
“Avery Johnson just has a little bit different gear about him,” Pate continued. “We were up there for spring, and I talked to Chris Klieman about him. He said he’s probably as competitive as any guy I’ve ever coached. He just happens to be our quarterback with really long hair, but he’s as competitive as anybody I’ve ever coached and has all the quintessential leadership qualities, all the intangibles, and all that stuff you need. He’s got it. But he’s also really, really talented.”
Johnson, a rising sophomore quarterback from Kansas, played in limited games for the Wildcats behind Will Howard but was effective when on the field. The Kansas native posted a total of 793 yards and 12 scores in his true freshman season, all while committing zero turnovers.
Pate finished his thoughts by saying, “That’s a team with dual paths. What I mean by that is most of these Big 12 teams have to win the conference to make the playoff. Kansas State may be one of only a couple teams out there that could make this thing without winning the conference title.”
For Kansas State to make that prediction come true, Johnson will have to continue his hot start as the starter in Year Two under Chris Klieman. He will get a shot to do that when Kansas State kicks off their season on Saturday, August 31st, vs. UT Martin.
