For Ron Prince, Sept. 18 is a special day. It's his birthday. The 37-year-old first-year Kansas State head could make Sept. 23 a memorable day as well, as the Wildcats will face No. 8 Louisville at 11 a.m. Saturday seeking their first-ever win over a Top 10 non-conference opponent. It will mark one of two matchups that will pit a Big 12 team against ranked non-conference opponent this weekend.

The upset-minded Wildcats are 3-0 and will look to spoil Louisville's perfect record while also seeking their first four-game winning streak since 2003.

The calculated, detail-oriented Prince, the third-youngest head coach in Division I-A and just the third in K-State history to win his first three games, accepted the Wildcats' job last December and said he had prepared for the position all of his life.

It beckons the question: What if, as a volunteer assistant at Dodge City Community College back in 1992, Prince had been told that on the week of his 37th birthday he would be a) head coach at Kansas State, and b) preparing for the opportunity to give the Wildcats their first win over a Top 10 non-conference foe in school history?

Prince was taken aback by the hypothetical.

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