Only those with the deepest purple passion dared to believe Kansas State could put together consecutive seasons of double-digit victories.

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After all, this was a team that went in the tank at the end of last year. When a perfect 11-0 regular season and a shot at the national title were spoiled by a double-overtime loss to Texas A&M in the Big 12 championship game, the Wildcats folded in the Alamo Bowl and lost to unranked Purdue.

Most everybody figured the hangover from the bitter conclusion to 1998, which included getting snubbed by the Bowl Championship Series, would cause problems in 1999. Most everybody figured wrong. The Wildcats exceeded almost everyone's expectations with a sparkling 10-1 record.

What the Big 12 finally learned this season about Kansas State is that the Wildcats are not going to go away. Not as long as coach Bill Snyder is in charge, using his workaholic approach to keep the program at a championship-contending level. Snyder did perhaps his best coaching job in 11 years at K-State, replacing eight starters on offense and riding a veteran defense to a season that included only a loss at No. 3 Nebraska.

"This team has established itself with its own identity," Snyder said. "I was pleased with their efforts, their performance and their ability to overcome hardships. I think they exceeded well above what the expectations may have been in a lot of camps."

Once again, though, Kansas State received the cold shoulder from the BCS. Tennessee received the final BCS at-large berth, matching up with Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl. That left the Wildcats to accept a bid to the Holiday Bowl.

The Personnel File

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: David Allen, junior tailback. Allen did a credible job while sharing time at tailback with Frank Murphy and Joe Hall. But it was as a punt returner that Allen saved the Wildcats on numerous occasions, either with a spine-tingling touchdown run or a return that gave the offense excellent field position.

Example: K-State was down 21 points to Iowa State in the second half before Allen uncorked a punt return for a score that ignited a rally and turned the season around. The 5-foot-9, 185-pounder finished 13th in the nation, averaging 13.93 yards per return. His two returns for touchdowns gave him seven for his career, tying the NCAA record held by Nebraska's Johnny Rodgers and Oklahoma's Jack Mitchell.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Mark Simoneau, senior linebacker. Everybody's All-American and the Big 12 coaches' selection as the conference's defensive player of the year. A finalist for the Butkus Award, Simoneau had 87 total tackles, seven sacks and 17 tackles for loss. With the offense missing eight starters from last season, including All-American quarterback Michael Bishop, it was up to Simoneau and his veteran teammates on defense to carry this team. With the 6-foot, 230-pound Simoneau playing so well that Snyder said he often couldn't find any mistakes in his game, the defense held up its end of the deal.

COACH UPDATE: Bill Snyder (87-40-1 in 11 years at Kansas State) could easily have been the Big 12's coach of the year after surprising many people with a 10-win season. Snyder's name doesn't come up as much as used to when other jobs open, but that doesn't mean perhaps an NFL job couldn't entice him to at least consider leaving.

STRENGTHS: The Wildcats have one of the top defensive units in the nation, ranking second nationally in total defense, allowing 235 yards a game. The Wildcats also led the nation in turnover margin (plus 1.55 per game) and pass efficiency defense (65.7 rating) and topped the league in scoring defense (13.1 points a game).

CONCERNS: The mediocre play of junior quarterback Jonathan Beasley. A frustrated Snyder was still pulling Beasley in favor of backup Adam Helm late in the season as the offense struggled with its consistency.

Noteworthy

BIGGEST LOSS: Tragedy hit the K-State program before the start of the season when the wife of defensive coordinator Phil Bennett died after she was struck by lightening in late August while jogging. The Wildcats' veteran defensive unit pulled together to help support their coach during some difficult days. Bennett, who regrouped to form the league's top defense, interviewed after the season for the LSU job that went to Nick Saban.

NO DROP OFF: The Wildcats didn't miss a beat when junior Jamie Rheem replaced All-American kicker Martin Gramatica, who is now winning games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rheem, a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, led the league in scoring (9.5 points per game).

BIG-PLAY MORGAN: Sophomore Aaron Lockett entered the season as the No. 1 receiver, but redshirt junior college transfer Quincy Morgan become the top threat, averaging nearly 24 yards per reception and scoring nine touchdowns. The yardage on his touchdown passes averaged nearly 49 yards per score. He is from Blinn (Texas) J.C., where he was a teammate of ex-KSU star QB Michael Bishop.