Iowa State @ Kansas State preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 6, 2014 ) Kansas State 32, Iowa State 28

Kansas State, which needs to sweep its final three games to extend its five-year streak of playing in a bowl game, hosts Iowa State in Big 12 Conference play on Saturday. The Wildcats will be looking to snap a six-game losing streak, the school's longest since dropping seven straight in 1989 when head coach Bill Snyder took over what generally regarded as the worst program in college football.

In an effort to inspire his team, the 76-year-old Snyder suggested they study his 16 goals for success: commitment, unselfishness, unity, improve, be tough, self-discipline, great effort, enthusiasm, eliminate mistakes, never give up, don't accept losing, no-self limitations, expect to win, consistency, leadership and responsibility. "If you were to look down at those 16 goals, there is hardly a one that doesn't apply to where we sit on this given day," Snyder said at his weekly press conference. "My encouragement to them was that last evening they took 10 minutes out of their night before they went to bed and took their goals out and asked the question, 'How does that apply to me?'" After Saturday's contest with the Cyclones, Kansas State plays at Kansas (0-10) and ends the season at home against West Virginia (5-4), so a bowl game for Snyder and company still isn't entirely out of the question.

TV: Noon, Fox Sports 1. LINE: Kansas State -6

ABOUT IOWA STATE (3-7, 2-5 Big 12): Running back Mike Warren leads all FBS freshman rushers with 1,070 yards and has scored seven touchdowns, a school record for freshman rushing touchdowns. Sophomore Joel Lanning has started the last three games at quarterback and has thrown a touchdown in five straight games and had 130 rushing yards in last week's 35-31 home loss to Oklahoma State. The defense, which shut out Texas, 24-0, earlier this season and ranks 29th nationally in sacks (2.6 per game), is led by senior defensive end Dale Pierson (8.5 sacks) and junior nose guard Demond Tucker (13 tackles for loss), who was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week this week after recording eight tackles, including four for loss, and two sacks in the loss to Oklahoma State.

ABOUT KANSAS STATE (3-6, 0-6): Quarterback Joe Hubener is a good runner (420 yards, 11 touchdowns) but isn't even ranked among the top 10 passers in the Big 12, completing just 97-of-207 passes (46.9 percent) for 1,403 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. Junior Charles Jones leads the team in rushing with 477 yards on 94 carries while senior fullback Glenn Gronkowski, younger brother of Patriots tight end Rob, is ranked by NFLDraftscout.com as the No. 1 fullback prospect for the 2016 NFL Draft. The defense has been solid against the run but thanks to the loss of starting safety Dante Barnett and starting cornerback Danzel McDaniel to injuries, it has struggled against the pass, allowing an average of 299.0 yards per game which ranks ninth in the 10-team Big 12.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Iowa State leads the all-time series 49-45-4, but Kansas State has won seven straight and 21 of the last 25 meetings.

2. Kansas State DT Travis Britz leads all Big 12 defensive tackles in tackles for loss (nine), the most by a Wildcat since 2009.

3. Iowa State's seven losses have come to teams that are a combined 60-9.

PREDICTION: Kansas State 28, Iowa State 24