Senior quarterback Lynn Dickey led the team to a third straight season as the top-rated passing offense in the Big Eight Conference. Kansas State also led the conference in total defense, and posted its first win against a top-ten team, beating #8 Colorado. The Wildcats went into the final conference game of the season against Nebraska ranked #20 and playing for the Big Eight championship. The #4-ranked Cornhuskers throttled Kansas State 51–13 in the game. Kansas State did not return to the national rankings again until the 1993 season.
The team finished with a winning record in conference play for the first time since 1953. And their first winning season in general since 1954. After the season Gibson was named coach of the year by the Big Eight.