Central Arkansas @ Kansas State preview

Especially for college football's elder statesman entering his 26th season on the sideline and as a man who values his privacy, Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder's offseason was more public than he'd prefer. After dealing with a health scare this winter and getting caught in a contentious back-and-forth with a former player, the 77-year-old Snyder returns to the business of football Saturday when the 19th-ranked Wildcats host FCS foe Central Arkansas.

Snyder, who announced in February that he had been diagnosed with throat cancer, was back for the start of spring practice in late March, but he made nearly as many headlines for refusing to grant receiver Corey Sutton a release from his scholarship and initially blocking his transfer. Kansas State eventually relented, leaving the Wildcats to focus on building upon a 9-4 record last season which ended with a 6-1 finish, including a 33-28 victory over Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl. Senior quarterback Jesse Ertz is one of the reasons for the growing optimism in Manhattan, as he was one of only four quarterbacks in the country to rush for at least 1,000 yards and throw for at least 1,500. The Bears, who made it to the second round of the FCS playoffs last season, are ranked 15th in the FCS Coaches Poll and coming off a 10-win campaign.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, ESPN3. LINE: NL.

ABOUT CENTRAL ARKANSAS (2016: 10-3): The Bears placed a league-high 12 players on the preseason All-Southland Conference first or second teams, including first-team senior defensive backs Tremon Smith, George Odum and Jaylon Lofton as well as second-team quarterback Hayden Hildebrand and running back Carlos Blackman. Hildebrand ranked seventh in FCS with 3,051 passing yards last season, while Blackman ran for a team-high 616 yards as a true freshman, leading the way for an offense that ranked second in the conference in rushing and fourth in scoring. Smith is the team's most decorated defender as a two-time all-conference performer, although Odum was named Southland Defensive Player of the Week twice in 2016 and ranked eighth in the league with 86 tackles (league-high 60 solo tackles).

ABOUT KANSAS STATE (2016: 9-4): The Wildcats averaged a school-record 5.27 yards per carry last season - a mark spiked by then-freshman Alex Barnes' 7.89 - the best in school history from a player with 50 or more attempts. California transfer Carlos Strickland - a highly touted receiver recruit in 2015 - joins a receiver group that returns its top two contributors from a season ago in Byron Pringle (39 catches for 631 yards) and Dominique Heath (45, 438). Despite losing All-American defensive end and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Jordan Willis, the Wildcats still remain stout on that side of the ball with two-time all-conference defensive tackle Will Geary, Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year defensive end Reggie Walker and Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year D.J. Reed.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Reed, who finished tied for second on the team with 75 tackles, also ranked fifth nationally and tied for first in school history with 19 pass defended last season.

2. Saturday will mark the third time Central Arkansas has played a Big 12 team in the last four years, losing 42-35 at Texas Tech in 2014 and 32-8 at Oklahoma State in 2015.

3. Underclassmen made 135 starts for the Wildcats in 2016, the most ever under Snyder.

PREDICTION: Kansas State 33, Central Arkansas 17