Arguably the most commonly used phrase among sports fans is simply, "What if?"
It's no different for Kansas State football fans. There are so many moments than could have gone differently - good and bad - and possibly altered the course of Wildcat football.
We continue our off-season series of K-State "What Ifs," at KSO by looking back at K-State's heartbreaking loss to Colorado late in the 1995 season.
What happened: A Top-10 matchup of No. 9 Colorado visiting No. 7 Kansas State was a classic in one of the final Big 8 Conference football games ever played, with the Buffaloes rallying late to score a pair of touchdowns in the final two minutes to claim a 27-17 win and earn a spot in the Cotton Bowl.
What it caused: The win propelled CU to a New Year's Day match-up with No. 12 Oregon, where the Buffs hammered the Ducks 38-6 to end the season ranked No. 4 in the coaches' poll and fifth in the AP rankings.
K-State slipped to the Holiday Bowl instead of earning a spot in its first ever New Year's Day bowl game, but the Wildcats rebounded by drilling No. 25 Colorado State 54-21 in San Diego to claim its 10th win for just the second time in school history and earn a No. 6 ranking in the coaches' poll and the No. 7 spot in the AP - both the highest marks in program history.
But what if... K-State had been able to hold on to beat the Buffaloes?
In a back-and-forth battle between two of the best teams in college football, K-State grabbed the lead with just over two minutes left in the game on a 1-yard Eric Hickson touchdown plunge. Hickson's score capped off a 10-play, 72-yard drive that made it 17-13 in favor of the Wildcats in front of what - at the time - was likely the loudest crowd in the history of KSU Stadium.
The Wildcats would finish the season ranked No. 1 in total defense and No. 2 in scoring defense, ironically only not finishing No. 1 in scoring defense, too, due to a defensive touchdown scored by CU in the final seconds of this game.
What if that defense, led by All-Americans Chris Canty and Tim Colston, held its ground and didn't let John Hessler and the Buffs steal back the win on a late touchdown pass to James Kidd?
Well, K-State would have finished the regular season with a 10-1 record and likely climbed into the top five of the national polls heading into bowl season. That bowl season would have seen K-State head to Dallas (a year before the purple swarm took over the Cotton Bowl) to take on an Oregon team that was dismantled by Colorado on New Year's Day.
K-State likely would have handled the Ducks, as well, moving to 11-1 on the season in what would have been unquestionably the greatest season in school history at the time.
Where would K-State have been ranked? Colorado ended the season fourth or fifth, depending on the poll, and it's safe to assume K-State would have been at least a spot higher in each poll. That means a No. 3 ranking in the coaches poll and No. 4 in the AP. And, really, a case would have been made for ranking K-State second in both polls behind undisputed and dominant National Champion Nebraska.
The 1995 season was a magical one, no doubt, and a personal favorite. But hanging on against the Buffaloes would have helped make it a season that probably would still stand as the best ever under Bill Snyder.
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