Jul 8, 2025; Frisco, TX, USA; Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman addresses the media during 2025 Big 12 Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

K-State's Chris Klieman Has Blunt Response To Meeting Outside Expectations

Originally posted on Kansas State Wildcats on SI
By Jayden Armant | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 8:43 AM ET

We've heard a lot about the expectations for Kansas State from those outside of the program.

But how do those on the team feel about their chances next season?

Obviously, no one is going to sit and publicly diminish their team, but there is still a sense of self-accountability with thoroughly evaluating how your squad will perform. Kansas State coach Chris Klieman has a high outlook for his team, but he wants them to avoid the onlookers' perspective from distracting them.

"I try to ignore it the best I can," Klieman said Tuesday at the Big 12 Media Day. "It's one of the reasons we, as coaches, didn't do a coaching poll, because I think the narrative has really hurt our league. I know it hurt Arizona State and BYU last year. I look at meeting expectations. We won nine games the last three years, which is pretty dang good. Not every school can say they've done that."

He even attributed the team's 2022 conference championship to avoiding media skepticism. Klieman believes that drowning out external narratives will help the team focus, to avoid being diminished by criticism or overconfident from hype.

"In 2022, when we won the Big 12, the best thing those kids did was block out the outside noise," Klieman said. "I think that's the key in today's day and age of college football: which team can block out the outside noise? And there are a lot of them right now."