Bill Snyder

SI: Does last season's loss at Oklahoma State stick with you?

BS: The wins you forget, but the losses are with you forever. We had an opportunity to score from the five-yard line at the end of the fourth quarter, and we would have gone for two points and either won or lost the ball game. We just didn't get into the end zone. That will linger with me for quite some time.

SI: YOUR TEAM SURPRISED A LOT OF PEOPLE IN 2011. WERE YOU SURPRISED?

BS: I REALLY DON'T HAVE EXPECTATIONS BECAUSE I'M ALWAYS WRONG. BUT THE ANSWER IS, NO. YOU GET TO THE POINT WHERE NOTHING SURPRISES YOU.

SI: Does this team have a goal to win the conference this year?

BS: I'm not naive enough to believe that players don't set those kinds of goals. [But as a program our goals] do not define X number of wins or championships; they're strictly intrinsic values, and if you achieve these intrinsic values, successes will follow.

SI: This will be your 21st year at K-State. Are you happy with where the program is?

BS: We're on track. It gets to a point where the capacity for improvement becomes far more difficult to come by, and we are probably close to reaching that point. In returning here [after the 2008 season, I wanted] to attempt to smooth the waters with our fan base and with the people of Kansas State. We have gotten very close to that.