By Wendell Barnhouse
Big 12 Sports.com Correspondent

A daily countdown previewing the upcoming college football season continues. Today: Kansas State Wildcats.

2007: 5-7 overall, 3-5 in North Division, 4th.
Bowl game: None.
Coach: Ron Prince, 12-13, third season.
Returning starters: 7 offense, 5 defense.
Staff changes: Prince hired Warren Ruggiero as quarterbacks coach. He'll concentrate on the QBs which allows coordinator Dave Brock time to oversee the entire offense. Kansas State also hired Cornell Jackson to take over as linebackers coach and Jeff Rodgers as special teams coach.

Offensive outlook: Junior quarterback Josh Freeman might be ready for a break-out season. The key to how well Freeman and the offense performs lies with some junior-college receivers. The Wildcats must replace Jordy Nelson, last season's go-to target. Newcomers Aubrey Quarles, Brandon Banks, Adrian Hilburn and Attrail Snipes have the speed to be play makers. The running game needs a consistent producer.

Defensive outlook: Returning players on the defensive side are inspired to improve after last season's collapse. Kansas State lost its last four games and allowed 198 points. The switch to the 3-4 alignment was a disaster. The Wildcats will mostly use a 4-3 this season but at times will return to the 3-4. Olu Hall, a transfer from Virginia who hasn't played in two seasons, is expected to become a difference maker at linebacker.

Player on the spot: Junior quarterback Josh Freeman. In a conference flush with talented quarterbacks, the 6-6, 245-pound Freeman might have the most talent. After becoming a starter his freshman season, Freeman has been learning on the fly. He needs to become more consistent (fewer interceptions) and prove he can be the guy to get the Wildcats into the end zone.

Player on the rise: Senior defensive end Ian Campbell. As a sophomore in 2006, he had 11.5 sacks. Last season, Kansas State switched to a 3-4 defense and Campbell became an outside linebacker. The scheme failed for the defense and the move didn't work for Campbell. Now he's back at defensive end and his quickness will terrorize offensive tackles every time they're pass blocking.

Number of note: 8. That's the number of punt returns for touchdowns the Wildcats have totaled in Prince's first two seasons. Kansas State led the nation in punt returns last season (22.5 per attempt) while its opponents averaged just 6.9 yards on their punt returns.

Date book: The biggest non-conference challenge is a Wednesday night game at Louisville. At worst, the Wildcats should be 3-1 going into conference play. The Big 12 schedule is brutal - from Oct. 11 to Nov. 8, Kansas State is on the road four out of five games. The road foes are Texas A&M, Colorado, Kansas and Missouri; the home opponent is Oklahoma.

2008 SCHEDULE