Kansas City, Mo. ? Kansas State hasn’t been over .500 at the midpoint of its Big 12 Conference season since 2000 — but during that four-year span, the Wildcats have been to three bowl games, won one of their three North Division titles and earned their only conference championship in 2003.

At 4-3 overall and 1-3 in Big 12 play, their purple-clad backs again are against the wall.

“We’re kind of at a pivotal point in that respect,” coach Bill Snyder said Monday during the Big 12 coaches’ weekly conference call. “It’s getting late in the season, so to speak. We’ve gone past the halfway mark, and it’s going to be interesting to see whether this football team can have the spirit and discipline to do what would make us a better football team, one capable of turning our fortunes around.”

Kansas State made progress behind freshman quarterback Allan Evridge in Saturday’s 30-28 loss to Texas A&M but also hurt itself with a rash of dropped passes, three turnovers and 99 yards in penalties.

“Those are things that will get you beat versus any football team,” said Snyder, whose team will play host this weekend to North co-leader and defending division champion Colorado. “Those are things that will take discipline and focus to correct, but they’re solvable problems.

Kansas State football coach Bill Snyder looks down during the Wildcats' game against Texas A&M. The Aggies won, 30-28, Saturday in Manhattan.

“If we can do that with spirit, saying, ‘All is not lost,’ then we have a chance to turn things around,” Snyder said. “Now, will we? That’s the 64-dollar question.”

A similar situation exists at Iowa State, where the Cyclones lost their first three conference games in 2004 but then ran off a four-game winning streak before a 17-14 overtime loss to Missouri knocked them out of the Big 12 title game.

This year, Iowa State also started Big 12 play 0-3 before beating Oklahoma State, 37-10, on Saturday.

“We’re not hammering on that, but it’s a good point to bring up,” coach Dan McCarney said.

The difference is that in 2004, the Cyclones’ first three opponents outscored them 89-20. This year, the 0-3 start includes a seven-point loss in double overtime to Nebraska and a three-point overtime loss to Missouri.

“A couple of those teams last year had kicked our tails,” McCarney said. “This year, there hasn’t been any tail-kicking.”