Klieman urges ‘no polls, no noise’ approach for 2025 season

Kansas State enters the 2025 season as a popular Big 12 title contender, according to Las Vegas oddsmakers.

But head coach Chris Klieman isnt buying into the buzz.

Speaking Tuesday at Big 12 Media Days, he made it clear that handling expectations begins with tuning them out.

I try to ignore it as best I can, Klieman said.

Its one of the reasons we as coaches did not do a coaches poll, because I think the narrative has really hurt our league.

In a notable change this offseason, the Big 12 opted not to release a preseason media poll for the first time in recent memory, choosing instead to skip official rankings ahead of whats expected to be another wide-open race to Arlington.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark went as far as to say the poll now holds, "no value." In the media polls absence, betting markets have helped shape the conversation, and K-State is right at the center of it.

That comes with both opportunity and pressure.

The Wildcats entered last fall as contenders but finished 9-4, falling short of a return to the title game after a midseason dip.

K-State met its standard of winning nine games in three consecutive seasons a level of consistency few programs in the conference can match.

Still, fans and players are left hungry for more.

Klieman pointed to the 2022 season, when K-State won the Big 12, as a blueprint for navigating the hype and taking the next step.

The best thing that those kids did was block out the outside noise, he said.

And I think thats the key in todays day and age of college football which team can block out some of that outside noise.

He also cited the volatility of last years standings as further proof that preseason narratives rarely hold up.

Two of the leagues most successful teams including Arizona State and BYU were not among the most hyped entering the season, especially the Sun Devils, who jumped from last in the preseason poll to the conference champion.

I know it hurt Arizona State, and I know it hurt BYU last year, Klieman said.

I look at meeting expectations, not meeting (them) We won nine games the last three years, which is pretty dang good.

Not every school can say theyve done that.

On the other hand, Utah was the preseason favorite and finished 13th with a 2-7 mark in league play.

Oklahoma State was selected for third place in the preseason with 14 first-place votes and went winless (0-9) in Big 12 play.

With the transfer portal and roster management and what goes on as you build that roster, no one knows what they really have, Yormark said.

They know what they have on paper, but it hasn't played out.

And that was the case with Arizona State last year.

So I don't know if it's a trend or not, but certainly it's the right thing for the Big 12 and I'm glad we did it.

Before the recent changes to college athletics, preseason polls generally held their weight.

Now its hard to say which teams will succeed until theyve been battle-tested on the field.

As for the inevitable rankings, Klieman offered a solution: All rankings wait until past the seasons halfway point, like the College Football Playoff rankings that hold off until Week 10 of the college football season.

That would give teams like 2024 Arizona State and BYU a fairer shot at climbing the rankings rather than being held back by preseason projections.

I wouldnt want any AP or USA Today poll to come out until the College Football Playoff rankings came out, Klieman said.

Its a narrative that doesnt need to be discussed.

Nobody really knows anything about a team until six, seven or eight weeks into the season anyway.

With no official poll and a wide-open field, the Big 12 in 2025 feels as unpredictable as ever.

For K-State, that means the path to contention will likely rely more on internal focus.

"We know top to bottom that this league is really good, Klieman said.

So we can't stumble nobody can stumble in this league.

Youve got to have your A-game every week, and that's what we're trying to preach to our guys.

Stay humble, stay hungry, and have that chip on your shoulder..

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