Bill Snyder knew the inevitable. The coach who transformed Kansas State from a perennial loser into a national power could see the signs. The Big 12 was changing, the recruiting well he tapped was drying up and Manhattan wasn't becoming any more attractive to young college kids. So he announced his retirement. There was no sense sticking around when the ship was sinking, especially after navigating the Wildcats through uncharted territory in the wake of so many abominable years.

 Got out in time.

Courtesy Kstatefootball.com

The Wildcats, who used to play regularly in late December or early January, have been con####uously absent from the postseason the last two years. And that is not likely to change in the coming seasons. Kansas State, which mined the state's junior colleges for talent during its golden years, has been forced  to compete with other schools for prospects that they once had exclusives on. In recent years, more and more coaches have been dipping into community colleges around Kansas and stealing the junior college players away. Recruiters from Nebraska, Kansas and even schools like Arkansas and Michigan State have been lurking at community colleges in the area, hoping to land prospects who can pay immediate dividends.

The Michael Bishops, Darnell McDonalds and Jeff Kellys, who once served as a foundation for Kansas State's winning squads, no longer are destined to go to Manhattan after apprenticing at local community colleges. The Wildcats, understandably, have suffered. In 2005, the once-powerful ground game Kansas State featured for years accumulated only 279 yards in a span of five games. This time there was no Darren Sproles or Ell Roberson to save them -- a sobering reality that is becoming all too familiar in Manhattan.

At a time when the Big 12 is changing, Kansas State has become stagnant. Nebraska and Texas Tech have junked their running games in favor of spread attacks that make it difficult for teams with strong rushing offenses to compete, especially if their defenses surrender early touchdowns. Even Colorado, which hired former Boise State coach Dan Hawkins, will likely pitch it around the field.  Meanwhile, in-state rival Kansas has emerged as the top football team in the state under head coach Mike Mangino. The Jayhawks just won their first bowl since 1995 and some believe that they will be one of the favorites in the now weakened Big 12 North division. This does not bode well for Kansas State.

It is rare in college football to see such a rapid rise and fall, unless NCAA sanctions precipitate a program's decline. Usually, it takes decades for the whole story to play out. But the school that was mired in a 27-game losing streak when Snyder took over in 1989 has seen the Wildcats both climb their way to the top of the rankings and slide back down in a matter of 15 years. The Fiesta Bowl appearance just two seasons ago seems like such a distant memory. The expanded stadium is now just a reminder of what once was and what seems so hard to hold on to. Now, Ron Prince has been left to pick up the pieces like Snyder once did. But another "Miracle in Manhattan" doesn't seem as likely to happen this time around.

If the news is true about Dan Hawkins, then it appears all but certain he will become the latest coach from Boise State to make the leap to a major Division I school -- and perhaps the best to do so. Hawkins is likely headed to Colorado -- a program that has endured numerous setbacks both on and off the field in recent years under the stewardship of Gary Barnett. Maybe it is the blue turf the Broncos trample each home game or the Idaho sky, but the Gem State's capital has been home to a few diamonds in the rough when it comes to field generals.

 Courtesy Honolulu Star-Bulletin

Arkansas coach Houston Nutt and Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter have made stops in Boise, building up their resumes in the West and earning respect Napoleon Dynamite would only dream about. In the process, Boise State's football program has improved dramatically since it was elevated by the NCAA to Division I-A status in 1996. That has a lot to do with the fact that each coach has built on what his predecessor left behind. Nutt took over in 1997 and spent one season with the Broncos, steering Boise State to a 5-6 record before impressing a committee at Arkansas when he interviewed for the Razorbacks' head coaching position. Koetter then brought Boise State to new heights, instituting an efficient passing attack, leading the Broncos to two 10-win seasons and their first two bowl appearances before bolting for the desert after the 2000 campaign.

Hawkins, who looks like he still could play football, turned Boise State into one of the best non-BCS programs in the country. Between 2002 and 2004, the Broncos won 35 of 38 games and finished ranked in the Top 15 each year. This season, Boise State is going bowling again. Colorado obviously has been watching Hawkins, while taking note of the fact that Nutt and Koetter are still walking the sidelines at the schools they landed at after their stints in Boise.

Other big programs are also aware of Boise State's penchant for finding strong leaders. And that is why coaches, who want to move up in the ranks, better start sending in their resumes for the Broncos' expected vacancy. They may have to suffer through some cold winters, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Just ask Nutt, Koetter and Hawkins.