No. 22 Houston heads to Kansas State on Saturday afternoon for a Big 12 matchup that has all the ingredients for a shootout.
The Cougars have already shown some resilience after their 28-26 loss at Texas Tech. They answered with a road win at Georgia Southern and then took care of Central Florida at home, even though they came up short against the spread in both of those victories as -17.5 and -10.5 favorites.
Kansas State enters off a different kind of week. The Wildcats opened the season with three straight wins before getting upset at Cincinnati as 6.5-point road favorites. They had a bye after that loss and now get Houston at home.
There’s recent history here, too. Houston beat Kansas State 24-19 in their last meeting two years ago.
All eyes will be on Conner Weigman, who is in his second and final year at Houston after beginning his college career at Texas A&M. Kansas State head coach Collin Klein was his offensive coordinator during the 2024 season with the Aggies.
Weigman put up 2,705 passing yards with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season. This year, he has completed 91 of 135 passes, good for 67.4%, for 1,186 yards with 11 touchdowns and only one interception.
His last outing was his quietest through the air so far this season. He completed just 54.6% of his passes for 239 yards with no touchdowns, though he added 50 rushing yards and three scores on 13 carries. Houston will need a sharper version of Weigman in a tough road spot.
The betting market points toward points, and both teams have backed that up. Houston is 4-1 to the OVER this season, while Kansas State is 3-1. The total is high, but the offenses have been even higher.
Kansas State has scored at least 26 points in every game it has played this season. Houston has done the same in all five of its contests. That makes this one look capable of climbing into the 30s on both sides.
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The road ahead is unforgiving, with a trip to Kansas State, a home date with Oklahoma State and then another tough road test at Utah. Those three games will shape not just Houstons standing in the league, but also its broader case in the College Football Playoff conversation. For a program trying to turn momentum into something bigger, this is the part of the schedule that tells the truth. [Read more 🡒]
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Latreveon McCutchin was central to that effort, delivering an interception while also handling quarterback-spy duties in a game that featured several key defensive plays. The Cougars also generated multiple sacks for the first time since the Oregon State game, a sign they may be starting to translate activity into disruption at the line of scrimmage, and they will try to carry that into next weeks matchup with Kansas State. [Read more 🡒]
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The next phase is where the season could really be decided, because the path back to relevance is lined with demanding tests and no shortage of pressure points. Houston is part of a stretch that can shape the rest of the fall, and the Buffaloes still have Oklahoma State and other high-end matchups waiting ahead as they try to stay in the bowl hunt. [Read more 🡒]
