Episode 55: Tulsa World's Bill Haisten

Tulsa World sportswriter Bill Haisten has been doing this job long enough (25+ years, in fact) to know when one team has more talent than another, and he's surely not the only one to make that observation about Oklahoma State relative to Kansas State. The Cowboys have a fast, athletic defense, a great young quarterback, and a whole host of highly capable big play receiver. But Bill has also been covering the Big 12 conference long enough to know few coaches, if any, can close a talent gap more effectively than Bill Snyder, so you won't hear any prediction of a blowout in this podcast.

Instead, you'll hear a fairly glowing review of Mike Gundy's team, despite a somewhat fluky win over Texas last week. Yes, we touched on the officiating and conspiracy theories, and we spoke about the depth of this year's Big 12, including Bill's surprising No. 2 team in his latest power rankings. We even threw in a little local flavor with some discussion of Tulsa Union High School alum Justin Silmon, and you'll like Bill's latest update on Tyler Lockett's 12-year-old twin brothers.

Be sure to read all of Bill's pregame, in-game and postgame stories on the Tulsa World's website, and if you want to hear him talk more, head on over to the Sports Animal, which is 96.1 FM if you live in the Tulsa area, 97.1 FM and 1470 AM in the Grand Lake/Vinita area, where Bill is part of the rotation of journalists who join Al Jerkens and Pat Jones weekdays from 11-2. He also appears frequently during the morning drive on the Oklahoma City Sports Amimal at 98.1 FM. You can also follow him on Twitter @billhaisten.

Episode 54: K-State Collegian Sports Editor Tim Everson

Bracket Cat and I enlisted the help of K-State Collegian sports editor Tim Everson to help us get through the bye week with discussion on some of our biggest concerns, notably dropped passes, an unexpected lack of quarterback depth, and how to effectively use two fullbacks. Afterwards, we turned our attention to the rest of the Big 12, breaking down some of this weekend's matchups and trying to decide which teams are real contenders, and which are destined to eventually falter.

Be sure to read the great work of Tim and his staff at the Collegian's website, and you can follow him on Twitter at @iamtimeverson.

Episode 53: Louisiana Tech Associate Athletic Communications Director Patrick Walsh

Few people know Louisiana Tech better than Associate Athletic Communications Director Patrick Walsh, who graciously joined us this to talk Bulldog football on this week's podcast. He spoke to what makes Kenneth Dixon one of the best running backs not just in Conference USA, but the entire nation, and gave some compelling evidence that Jeff Driskel isn't the same quarterback who struggled through two seasons as a starter at Florida. In fact, Louisiana Tech probably has better skill players than Kansas State, and Patrick says we can expect the Bulldogs secondary to look much better than it did last week, when they gave up 441 yards in a 41-38 loss at Western Kentucky.

Since our guest couldn't stick around for too long, KSUEMAW! joined me for about 20 minutes afterwards to talk about how Kansas State might match up on Saturday and what we'd like to see the 'Cats do.

Episode 52: Wichita Eagle Columnist Bob Lutz

The media picked Kansas State to finish seventh in the Big 12 this season, but they didn't ask Bob Lutz. The Eagle's esteemed longtime sports columnist doesn't have the answers for who will be the breakout stars needed to lead an unproven 'Cats offense, or whether this defense will live up to the hype, but he says Bill Snyder has earned the benefit of the doubt. We also spoke a bit about Bill Snyder's future, as well as how disappointing it is that Kansas State basketball doesn't play Wichita State.

Editor's note: I apologize to our readers, and especially to Bob, for the poor sound quality of this podcast. We do not have the most sophisticated podcast recording/editing tools, and I may have made a mistake in the positioning of the phone as we were talking to Bob and recording on my laptop. Please bear with us this week and we'll try to do better in the future. Thanks.

Episode 51: Ian Boyd

Ian Boyd writes for Inside Texas and SB Nation, and if you haven't read his piece on Bill Snyder throwing the kitchen sink at opponents offensively this season, you should do that before you listen to the podcast. We went in-depth on the possible schemes K-State could run and did our best to evaluate the personnel most likely to play this Saturday vs. South Dakota and beyond. Needless to say, we still have a lot of unanswered questions, particularly when it comes to the passing game, but hopefully you'll learn a few things.

Finally, we talked a little bit about the Longhorns' past, present and future under Charlie Strong, and Ian told us why he thinks Baylor will be better than TCU this season. Don't forget that along with reading Ian's work at the aforementioned websites, you can also follow him on Twitter at @Ian_A_Boyd.

Episode 50: Old Friend Derek Smith Returns

Junction City Daily Union sports editor and former Bring on the Cats writer Derek Smith is the guest for our first podcast of the 2015 football season, and he's fairly optimistic about this year's Wildcats. That's especially true for the quarterbacks and wide receivers, perhaps the two position groups raising the most question marks on offense. There are fewer questions about the legitimacy of the defense, which brings back the majority of starters from a group that was really good for most of last season. But Derek's also honest about the difficulty of a tricky schedule and what it could mean if things go badly.

Really, we're just excited for that first game so we actually have something concrete to discuss, rather than idle speculation based on last spring, last fall, one practice this August, and the carefully crafted messages of coaches and players. But since K-State still won't take the field for another two weeks, go ahead and have a listen, then feel free to join the discussion. We even have a new intro, created by Derek!

Episode 49: K-State's Brian Smoller

The long summer grind continues with 75 days remaining until Kansas State football's home opener vs. South Dakota on Sept. 5. BracketCat and I are here to help with a rare summer edition of Bring on the Podcast, featuring a very special guest. We were joined last Friday for a long conversation with K-State's Director of Video Services, Brian Smoller, whose voice you've probably heard announcing women's basketball, baseball and volleyball.

He shared some of his excitement for the new Vanier Sports Complex, which will put the facilities for Wildcat football on par with its peers and provide Bill Snyder some additional recruiting help to supplement his remarkably effective wizardry. A massive new strength training room, a first-class academic learning center to consolidate student-athlete assistance and a cutting edge hydrotherapy center are only some of the highlights for a building that will have the added bonus of closing off the North endzone to make KSU Stadium even louder on game days. You can see more photos, renderings, construction webcams, and a new video tour with athletic director John Currie at kstatesports.com.

Speaking of cutting edge technology, Brian spoke to K-State's continued efforts to stay ahead of the curve and meet nearly unmatched demand for video of live Wildcat sporting events, coaches shows and more via kstatehd.tv. The upcoming launch of a new site via Sportslabs should greatly enhance the user experience as the video department and its stars such as Preston Koerner, creator of most of those amazing pregame hype videos for football and men's basketball, continue to churn out content.

Finally, we spent some time talking about the launch of women's soccer in 2016, positive momentum for coach Jeff Mittie's women's basketball program, and why K-State football could be in the perfect position to surprise people (again) in 2015.

A huge thanks to Brian Smoller for coming on, and trust us, if you enjoy Wildcat athletics, this podcast will be well worth your time.

Episode 48: K-State defensive end Ryan Mueller

If you're feeling down about the dismal end to Kansas State's basketball season, like I am, we've got the perfect podcast to cheer you up. Standout defensive lineman and all-around great guy Ryan Mueller joined me just one day after he posted some eye-popping numbers on his Pro Day in Manhattan, making the NFL look foolish for excluding him from its draft combine. Of course, being overlooked is nothing new for the former walk-on, who talked about how he got where he is and his plans for making it at the next level, no matter what position he has to play.

Naturally, we also took a look back at his Kansas State career, including the legendary strip sack of Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty in 2013. But Mueller's impact as a Wildcat went well beyond his 20.5 career sacks and 33.5 tackles for loss that made him the most feared player on one of the Big 12's best defenses last season. He talked about the lasting impression he left on teammates and fans, especially young Kaiden Schroeder.

Don't be surprised if you're watching Ryan play on Sundays in the near future, and you can follow him on Twitter at @R_Mueller44.

Episode 47: AP's Adam Suderman

Adam Suderman, student correspondent for the Associated Press, joined KSUEMAW! and I this week to share what he's seen from Marcus Foster. Obviously, K-State is better off with its star shooting guard, but there are still many questions about how he'll do going forward. Adam says Nino Williams and Thomas Gipson remain the best options for veteran leadership, and he makes the case for Nigel Johnson over Jevon Thomas at point guard.

Finally, we took a quick look at Bill Snyder's most recent signing class, one that is surprisingly heavy on freshman and low on junior college transfers. Adam expects Joe Hubener to start under center next season, but Alex Delton could be in the mix.

You can find Adam's work on just about any national website covering college basketball, and follow him on Twitter at @adamsuderman.

Episode 46: 247sports Big 12 Editor Kevin Flaherty

Bruce Weber and the Wildcats can't afford to overlook Tuesday's home test against West Virginia, but we sure can and did on this week's podcast. 247sports Big 12 editor and contributor to Kansas blog TheShiver joins KSUEMAW! and I to explain why point guard Frank Mason III has been KU's best player and the leader of a strong backcourt often asked to cover up some weaknesses in the post. Kevin's also got some good news for Nino Williams about Perry Ellis' defense, or lack thereof.

The podcast runs a little long when we dive into a perplexing column by The Oklahoman's Berry Tramel claiming Kansas' dominance is a sign the Big 12 isn't very good, even this season. Finally, we try to figure out why the conference has struggled in postseason play and Kevin gives us the lone reasonable scenario in which Bill Self might actually leave Lawrence anytime soon.

Be sure to check out Kevin's work at 247sports and follow him on Twitter at @KFlaherty247.

Episode 45: Kyle Porter of Pistols Firing Blog

Oklahoma State travels to Manhattan Saturday, so Kyle Porter of the excellent Pistols Firing Blog joined Bracket and I to break down a critical game for both teams. Even though Phil Forte and Le'Bryan Nash are both among the league's top three scorers with more than 17 points per game, Kyle says additional offense has been a recurring problem for the Cowboys. They're also looking for some rebounding help, which could be good news for a Kansas State team that has had issues of its own on the glass.

Of course, we also spent some time talking about Travis Ford's persona, his coaching abilities, and even his future at Oklahoma State. Finally, Kyle addressed a big question no one seems to want to mention in the Big 12: Can it really be one of the best leagues ever without a single elite team?

Be sure to check out Kyle's blog and give him a follow on Twitter at @pistolsguy.

Episode 44: Matt Wilson of Bears Illustrated

Former Our Daily Bears writer Matt Wilson, now with Bears Illustrated helps bring the podcast back from hiatus, along with co-host Bracket Cat. The Bears look like a dangerous team after Wednesday night's big win over Iowa State, and you can hear Matt's live reaction to Kenny Chery's big game-winning shot. He's also quite enthusiastic about the emergence of Rico Gathers, Baylor's solid defense, and believe it or not, Scott Drew.

Stick around until the end and you can hear Matt's thoughts on our most pressing questions: Who is Baylor's most hateable player now that Brady Heslip is gone and what the hell happened at the Cotton Bowl? One of these questions did not make Matt especially happy.

But he was still a good sport, so make sure to go read his stuff and don't forget to follow his prolific and highly entertaining Twitter, @mattisbear.

Episode 43: SB Nation's Ryan Rosenblatt

The Alamo Bowl edition of the podcast features the insights of Ryan Rosenblatt, SB Nation's esteemed and entertaining soccer editor who also happens to live in Los Angeles and know quite a bit about UCLA football. He's impressed with the team's efforts in coach Jim Mora's first three seasons, but he also knows there's a lot more work to be done to meet the expectations of everyone from the coaching staff to the fanbase. This is certainly a program on the rise, and Ryan says beating Kansas State to give the Bruins their second 10-win season in three years would be an important step forward.

Neither Ryan nor anyone else could tell us exactly why UCLA's offense can be unstoppable (ask Arizona State) or erratic (see: games vs. Virginia, Stanford), why their pass protection can be strong or nearly useless or why sometimes running quarterbacks like Jake Waters can find success. But we still learned a lot about great players like record-setting quarterback Brett Hundley and Butkus Award winner Eric Kendricks, as well as several others who you'll probably see playing on Sundays soon.

You can follow Ryan on Twitter at @RyanRosenblatt for all of his takes on soccer, college football and sometimes other things.