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Top 25 Countdown: No. 21 Kansas State Eyes Second Big 12 Title in Three Years
- Avery Johnson takes over for Will Howard as Kansas State’s starting quarterback.
- Kansas State, which is 22-5 as a favorite in the last three seasons, could be favored in every game during the regular season.
- Running back DJ Giddens is the top returning player for the Wildcats.
- Check out the reasons why Kansas State is sitting at No. 21 in the BetUS list of the Top 25 college football teams in 2024.
This was an offseason of change in the Big 12 Conference with Texas and Oklahoma leaving for the SEC while four Pac-12 teams joined the Big 12. One of the few constants in the Big 12 is Kansas State.
The Wildcats won the 2022 Big 12 title, beating TCU in the conference championship game. The Big 12 championship odds opened with Kansas State and conference newcomer Utah listed as the co-favorites by the college football odds. Utah has moved ahead of the Wildcats with Kansas State currently at +380 to win the Big 12. The Wildcats received 19 first-place votes and were picked second in the Big 12 preseason poll.
According to the college football futures odds, Kansas State is priced at +240 in the odds of making the College Football Playoff field and has +7000 odds to win the national title. The Wildcats are No. 21 in the BetUS countdown of the top 25 teams heading into the 2024 college football season.
Kansas State Wildcats at a Glance
- 2023 record: 9-4
- 2023 Big 12 record: 6-3
- Head coach: Chris Klieman
- Odds to win Big 12 title: +380
Avery Johnson to Take Over as No. 1 QB
The biggest news at Kansas State came when quarterback Will Howard decided to transfer to Ohio State. Kansas State was 20-13 when Howard played over the last four seasons. The Wildcats also saw offensive coordinator Collin Klein take the same job at Texas A&M.
Conor Riley was promoted from offensive line coach to run the offense and that could be good news for running back DJ Giddens, who looks to build on a 2023 season when he ran for 1,226 yards and 10 touchdowns.
“‘𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘙𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘺, 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘒𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘴 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦’ is almost surreal… it’s crazy. It’s humbling.”
The grind awaits in @CoachCRiles‘ first season in the OC role. #KStateFB 𝑺𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝑬𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒂 📄 https://t.co/GG9lwhRiGM pic.twitter.com/GZIYfWi1T5
— K-State Athletics (@kstatesports) July 31, 2024
The quarterback will be Avery Johnson, a highly touted recruit who ran for seven touchdowns and threw for five others as a freshman. Johnson is 12th at +2500 in the BetUS odds of winning the Heisman Trophy.
Top pass catchers Ben Sinnott and Phillip Brooks are now in the NFL. That could open the door for more opportunities for the trio of Jayce Brown, who averaged 16.2 yards on 27 catches as a freshman, Jadon Jackson and Keagan Johnson.
Giddens also averaged 11.1 yards on 29 catches out of the backfield. Dante Cephas, who put up some big numbers at Kent State before spending the 2023 season at Penn State, is another receiver to keep an eye on.
There are holes to fill on the offensive line.
The return of linebackers Austin Moore and Desmond Purnell, safeties Marques Sigle and VJ Payne as well as cornerbacks Keenan Garber and Jacob Parrish form the foundation for what could be one of the best defenses in the Big 12.
Colorado running back Dylan Edwards, North Dakota offensive lineman Easton Kitty, Austin Peay edge rusher Travis Bates and Ball State safety Jordan Riley are incoming transfers who could make an immediate impact.
.@dylan_edwards02 is named to the watch list for the @hornungaward, which goes to the most versatile player in major college football 🏈
📄 https://t.co/uOPnup5KUd#KStateFB ⚒️ #HornungAward pic.twitter.com/bgqoVsLmVm
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) August 1, 2024
Receiver Jacques Spradley-Demps and safety Callen Barta are the top-rated incoming freshmen.
Kansas State 2024 Betting Outlook
Kansas State was 6-1 outright at home last season with the Wildcats favored in each of the home games. The Wildcats covered against the college football spread in six of those games.
The Wildcats showed resilience by winning each time after a loss during the 2023 season.
Kansas State was just 1-3-1 against the spread on the road and that needs to change. Three of the four games after the Wildcats lost in 2023 landed over the total.
The only Big 12 team to beat Kansas State in each of the last two seasons is Texas and the Longhorns are now in the SEC. That is one reason why the NCAA football betting line has Kansas State with +115 odds to go over 9.5 wins during the regular season.
The road opener against Tulane could be an interesting matchup. The Big 12 opener is six days later against Big 12 newcomer Arizona and K-State also has road games against BYU and Colorado.
With Utah and Kansas State not meeting in the regular season, the Wildcats could be favored in every game this season.
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Kansas State 2024 Schedule
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- Aug. 31 vs UT Martin, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
- Sept. 7 at Tulane, noon ET
- Sept. 13 vs Arizona, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Sept. 21 at BYU
- Sept. 28 vs Oklahoma State
- Oct. 12 at Colorado
- Oct. 19 at West Virginia
- Oct. 26 vs Kansas
- Nov. 2 at Houston
- Nov. 16 vs Arizona State
- Nov. 23 vs Cincinnati
- Nov. 30 at Iowa State
Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets.
Questions of the Day
When was the last time Kansas State had four straight winning seasons?
The Wildcats are seeking to post a fourth straight winning season for the first time in a decade.
When is the home opener for the Kansas State Wildcats?
Kansas State opens the 2024 season against UT Martin on Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. ET. The game will air on ESPN+.
