Kansas State’s unbeaten non-conference run has given Collin Klein plenty to like, but the real test starts Saturday when the Wildcats open Big 12 play on the road against Cincinnati.
The Wildcats are 3-0 after handling Nicholls, Washington State and Tulane, and they have a shot at a 4-0 start for the first time since 2012 if they can beat the Bearcats. For Klein, those first three games were exactly the kind of early work a team needs before conference play ramps up.
He called those games “tremendous” for the team’s growth.
“I mentioned it after the [Tulane] game,” Klein said earlier this week during his game week press conference. “Every football game and every good team you play, it doesn't matter what conference they're in, it doesn't matter how talented people think they are or they're not, or how they compare to you, it is truly about the competitive nature and that battle of will between those two teams.”
Kansas State hasn’t exactly coasted through the opening stretch. Nicholls was the lone clear mismatch, while Washington State gave rival Washington a fight in its opener before the Wildcats still rolled to a 34-7 win. That one was aided by a bad Avery Johnson throw that was returned for a touchdown, but Kansas State otherwise controlled the game.
The Tulane win carried its own weight, too. The Green Wave reached the College Football Playoff a year ago, so even if this is not the same Tulane team, beating that kind of program still counts as a quality result.
Now the Wildcats move into a Big 12 race that looks loaded. The conference enters the weekend with six undefeated teams, which means Kansas State’s early seasoning will matter fast.
The bigger question is whether those first three games were enough to get the Wildcats ready for what comes next. Klein believes they were.
In Other News...
Kansas State Suddenly Has A Risky Avery Johnson Problem
Kansas State heads into its Big 12 matchup with Cincinnati in a tricky spot under center, with senior quarterback Avery Johnson expected to be the only confirmed healthy quarterback available. The Wildcats are already dealing with a thin depth chart at the position, as backup Blake Barnett is out, while Dillon Duff and Jacob Knuth are both listed as questionable.
The rest of the injury report adds to the uncertainty, with safety JaSon Prevard and offensive lineman Oliver Miller ruled out as well. Cincinnati is carrying its own list of unavailable and uncertain players, but for Kansas State, the quarterback situation is the one that looms largest as kickoff approaches. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Got A Clearer Look At The Big 12 QB Race
The Big 12 quarterback picture got a little sharper after Week 3, and for Kansas State fans, the early read is as much about the conference race as it is about the Wildcats themselves. A new ranking of the leagues top passers entering Week 4 puts recent performances front and center, using last weeks results from around the conference to sort out who is surging, who is settling in and who still has work to do.
Kansas States place in that conversation matters because the league schedule is already starting to separate contenders from the pack, with Week 4 matchups offering another chance to shuffle the order again. The update also folds in results and evaluations from teams like Texas Tech, Arizona State, West Virginia, Oklahoma State and Houston, giving BYU a clearer view of the field it has entered and leaving the next round of quarterback tests to decide how stable those rankings really are. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Faces Its First Real Big 12 Test At Cincinnati
Kansas State finally steps into the part of the schedule that will tell us more about where this team really stands. The Wildcats and Cincinnati are both 3-0 heading into their Big 12 opener, with Collin Kleins team leaning on Avery Johnson, a defense coordinated by Jordan Peterson and the sort of early momentum every contender wants to carry into league play.
Cincinnati has its own reasons to feel confident, especially with Scott Satterfields group chasing a 4-0 start behind quarterback JC French IV and defensive playmaker Antwan Peek Jr. For Kansas State, this trip is less about preserving a clean record than seeing how the Wildcats handle a conference road test against a team eager to make its own statement. [Read more 🡒]