FanHouse Grant Gregory

Somewhere in the privacy of his own home, 70-year-old Kansas State coach Bill Snyder is enjoying this and laughing at those who quietly thought the energy was gone to resurrect the Wildcats.

But as we've suspected for years, the private Snyder is different from the public guy. So it should be no surprise Snyder seems oblivious to the instant success he and the Wildcats are experiencing after he decided break a three-year retirement to return to Kansas State just under a year ago.

The Wildcats are sitting atop the Big 12 North with two regular-season games remaining after being picked to finish on the bottom half of the division in the preseason media poll.

The message never changes, but Kansas State quarterback Grant Gregory finds a note in his inbox every week of the college football season.

"Find a way to win."

The words of encouragement find their way to Manhattan, Kan., from hundreds of miles away in Mobile, Ala., where Grant's father, Greg Gregory, is the offensive coordinator of upstart South Alabama. But even in distance, dad seems to know exactly what his son needs to hear.

"I make sure to also put in there, there is always a way," Greg Gregory said, "your job is to find it."

It's only a matter of time until someone decides to make a Groundhog Day sequel. If so, have the University of South Florida Bulls got the perfect storyline.

An undefeated start, a climb into the national rankings and then a mid-season meltdown that sends the Bulls spiraling and finishing the season unranked in 2007. And 2008. And again in 2009?

Wonder how well Bill Murray can pull off Jim Leavitt's sideline antics?

The Bulls started 5-0 -- again -- this season including what Leavitt called the biggest win in program history at Florida State Sept. 26.

USF is the only school in the nation to start each of the past three seasons 5-0 - which, of course, makes USF the only school in the nation to finish the past two seasons unranked after starting 5-0 and climbing into the Top 10.

The million dollar question -- or the $1.6 million dollar question since that's what Leavitt will make this year -- is what happens to USF each year?

It looks like Kansas State is the surprise of the Big 12 North. For some, it's no coincidence the Wildcats' resurrection is coming under the return of the man who built the program from virtually nothing.

The Wildcats put the hammer down on Colorado, 20-6, Saturday to strengthen their stand as the leader of the eroding North Division. K-State has now won two straight and three of its first four in the Big 12 for its best start in league play since 2000. To think, this was to be a rebuilding year with Bill Snyder coming out of retirement to resuscitate his once proud program.

Every college football season there seems to be at least one major conference that's projected to be among the best , only to find out it's all just hype.

Could this season be the Big 12's turn?

Projected to be one of the top two conferences in the country, along with the SEC, there is now a small mountain of evidence indicating the Big 12 isn't the conference we thought it would be. The league has already suffered more than it share of stunning upsets in non-conference play, starting at the top.

Kansas State coach Bill Snyder has decided to go with junior Carson Coffman over transfer senior Grant Gregory as the starting quarterback for Saturday's season opener against UMass.

The two had been involved in a tight battle for the starting spot all fall, but Coffman got enough separation to be officially named the starter Tuesday.

"It really wasn't the easiest decision in the world, I can assure you of that," Snyder said. "Both of them have made improvement. They are beginning to really get the big picture, which is obviously very vital for a quarterback. I think they both still have room to grow."