KSU Stadium emerges slowly, and from a mile away, you’d never believe it houses Big XII football.

But once you get within the gates, it’s clear that you’ve entered the big time. Two large grandstands, one with a second deck, a press box the size of most found in NFL stadiums, and enough stat boards to keep even the craziest junkie satisfied.

One end is capped with a grandstand the size of one side of UMass’ McGuirk seating section, providing a raucus swell of noise.

And there is plenty. When KSU takes the field, when KSU makes a big play, even when videos of old KSU big plays are shown on the crystal-clear video board at one end, there’s enough noise to make conversation a pipe dream.

But that’s only the game.

Prior to kickoff, the crowd joins in with the K-State band as it plays “The Star Spangled Banner,” and the school’s Alma Mater. But this is not just a low, mumbling sing-along. Rather, the crowd sings loud and proud, as if it were an organized choral ensemble.

There are pre-game rituals abound, as well. Willy Wildcat, an unidentified student dressed in a football uniform and a giant wildcat head, leads the crowd in chants and general mayhem.

A man painted in the colors of the day’s opponent takes off with the KSU flag, and sits on it at midfield. Willy soon sprints over, and puts a devastating open field tackle on the hapless opponent. Then, even more chanting, with the most popular being “K-S-U,” accompanied by Willy’s slow mime job on the letters.

Prior to the Wildcats’ entrance, a video presentation appears on the scoreboard, with a purple and silver train chugging through the heartland, bearing down on KSU stadium, where the helmet of the opposition sits at midfield. Finally, the train barrels through the helmet, causing an explosion on the screen and in the stands.

The student and band section takes up nearly a quarter of the stadium, creating a massive sea of undulating purple. The rest of the stadium follows the purple theme too, but anyone wearing anything but purple (PMS 526) stands out like a vegetarian in a steak house.

During the game, the crowd stays involved, even if the score reaches beyond humorous. On every first down achieved by K-State, announcer announces, “good for another Wildcat…” and the rest is finished by the crowd, with every diehard making the referee’s first down signal, creating a wave of arms.

This, in a perfect world, is what the future of UMass football might just look like. The athletic department, fronted by an ad-hoc task force, is using every opportunity, including an examination of K-State’s program, to determine the feasibility of moving the football team to I-A.

While the settings and interest might be a little different, Assistant Athletic Director Bill Strickland calls KSU “the model” for how a I-A program can exist. The Wildcats were among the dregs of I-A in the 1980s, generally regarded as one of the worst programs in college football. Entering the 1989 season, K-State was on a laughable 27-game winless streak, dating back to October of 1986.

But thanks to president John Wefald and coach Bill Snyder, K-State has become a perennial contender for the Big XII championship, and is among the nation’s best college football programs.

While there are some who doubt the feasibility of UMass making a leap, and even more who are under the impression that all it takes is a I-A conference to land in, there are plenty of obstacles in the way, but also reason for optimism.

“President Wefald came in here and Bill Snyder came in here and they successfully used football and athletics as a way to market their university and market their academic programs,” Strickland said.

Another example Strickland said is perfect for UMass is Connecticut, which has successfully brought its football team into the I-A ranks. And UConn is no weak sister either, recently defeating the Big Ten’s Indiana, drawing over 30,000 to its brand new off-campus stadium, and 40,000 packed Rentschler Field Saturday for the Huskies’ 24-14 loss to Boston College.

“[I-A] can certainly be done,” Strickland said. “You can’t tell me that Amherst, Mass. is that different than an hour south of us.”

UConn will also have the benefit of joining the Big East, a BCS conference, in 2004.