FORT WORTH, Texas - Kansas State is so close. With two more wins, the Wildcats almost certainly will be headed to Miami for the BCS championship game and a shot at their first national title.
So imagine the excitement and euphoria for the Wildcats following their victory at TCU, which came after defending national champion Alabama lost at home.
"It's good for us," receiver Tramaine Thompson said matter-of-factly after the Wildcats won 23-10 on Saturday night. "We're doing something that's special and doesn't come around a lot in any program. We're just taking it in and we're just moving forward."
OK, so coach Bill Snyder's message clearly permeates through this team. Don't worry about what any other team does, or what can happen in two months. Focus instead on what's immediately ahead.
The Wildcats (10-0, 7-0 Big 12) will go to practice Monday as the No. 1 team in the BCS rankings that determine who plays for the national title.
They replaced Alabama at the top when the new Bowl Championship Series standings were released Sunday night. They moved up one spot, staying ahead of No. 2 Oregon.
Kansas State also moved up a spot in the new AP Top 25 earlier Sunday, going from third to second. Oregon, which was already ahead of the Wildcats in the AP poll, was the new No. 1 there.
Alabama slipped three spots to fourth in both rankings.
Kansas State plays next Saturday night at Baylor, where the Wildcats have lost their last two trips but now could clinch at least a share of its first Big 12 title since 2003. They get Thanksgiving week off before ending the regular season at home Dec. 1 against 18th-ranked Texas.