100 Questions: Could five wins be enough?

In an attempt to pass the time this off-season we're fortunate to have secured the help of scottwildcat from Boscoe's Boys. Scott is going to provide 100 questions about the past, present, future (and who-knows-what) involving Kansas State sports, and I'll do my very best to answer them.

Let's dive in to the 100 Questions.

Question No. 87: If you were purely a fan, would you take the guarantee of a 5-7 season that has no serious injuries, a measurable and obvious improvement week over week, and no surprise departures by players with eligibility following the season, or let the season play out and hope for a bowl bid, knowing that you don’t have the assurance of at least five wins, no injuries, measurable improvement, etc?

This wasn't the question asked, but I'm quite confident those within the Kansas State program wouldn't take this if offered to them.

Wildcat players have high expectations and feel good about their program, and the coaching staff has made clear they aren't going to ask 24 scholarship seniors to feel like they're going through a rebuild.

That, of course, is the right mentality to have.

Between you and me, though, (and everybody reading this) I'd take this scenario right now, from a fan/supporter perspective, at least.

I think the scenario laid out in this question (five wins, no program-altering injuries, improvement every week and no roster losses) would be a borderline ideal year one for Chris Klieman and company.

Yes, getting a sixth win and earning a post-season bid would be meaningful. More meaningful than it would have been last year, for example, as this would be seen as a clear sign of moving forward.

Last year was going to feel like a slip back, whether or not the Wildcats had held on in the fourth quarter against Iowa State.

And, again, look at the question. Am I trading the (potentially low) possibility of one more win to risk losing players to injury and transfer while also accepting that week-to-week improvement wouldn't be guaranteed?

For a real shot at seven, eight or nine wins? Sure. But for a likely less than 50/50 chance of getting six wins - and least according to odds makers opinions - it's not worth it to me.

And five wins means either three Big 12 Conference wins (almost certainly included a win in Lawrence against Kansas) or an early-season statement win at Mississippi State. I think, all things considered, that would be a fine year one. And, I'm confident it would be enough to convince recruits this staff has the ability to win at the FBS level.

Now, am I telling you that you should be content with five-win seasons as a Kansas State fan?

Absolutely, 100 percent, I am not. The bar should be higher than that, and at some point - soon - I'll raise my personal bar for the program, too.

But, for year one, I wouldn't judge this season as anything but a success if it included five wins, a healthy roster and a clearly growing program. And, honestly, it's hard for me to understand why anybody wouldn't see this at least as a passable first year.

One caveat, though. If I was able to take this deal, I would want my memory wiped of it before the season began. College football is amazing, and I don't want to 'lose' a season of it knowing the results in advance.

If I had to already know what would happen, I'd roll the dice and see what happens.

And, fortunately, I'll enter this season with no idea of what's going to happen.