The Big 12 opener is locked in for Kansas State, and the Wildcats will head to Cincinnati for a Sept. 26 date with the Bearcats at Nippert Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. (CT).
Kansas State can still arrive there unbeaten if it takes care of Tulane on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The Wildcats were slotted No. 8 in the conference by the league media, while Cincinnati came in at No. 11.
This will be the eighth meeting between the programs, and Kansas State holds a 3-4 record in the series. The most recent matchup came in 2024, when the Wildcats rolled to a 41-15 win.
Their other victories in the series were 35-0 in 1996 and 23-21 in 1995. Cincinnati’s wins came in 1966, 1965, 1952 and 1951.
Kansas State is 2-0 under first-year coach Collin Klein, who replaced Chris Klieman after a 6-6 season. Klein spent the previous two seasons as offensive coordinator at Texas A & M and is now handling his first head-coaching job.
The start has been emphatic. Kansas State opened with a 71-3 rout of Nicholls, the second-highest scoring game in school history, then followed it with a 34-7 win over Washington State. The defense still hasn’t allowed a touchdown; the only points surrendered came on an interception return for a touchdown last week against Washington State.
There’s plenty of buzz around the Wildcats again, and the schedule is a big reason why. They missed the Big 12’s top three teams in Utah, Texas Tech and BYU, and many around the league believe that gives them a real shot at the conference race. Kansas State also gets most of its biggest games at home and has one of the league’s most experienced quarterbacks in Avery Johnson.
In Other News...
Collin Klein Has K-State Carrying Extra Edge Into Tulane Rematch
Collin Klein still carries the memory of Tulanes visit to Manhattan in 2022, when Kansas State came up short at home and he was serving as the Wildcats offensive coordinator. The matchup has lingered because these programs have already built a small but meaningful history, with the teams splitting the previous two meetings before this final game in their three-game series. Now Klein is back in charge of the program, and the rematch has given the Wildcats a little extra edge as they prepare to see a familiar opponent one more time.
Kansas State players have noticed the tone around the game, with the past meeting and the coaching changes since then helping frame it as more than just another nonconference date. For the Wildcats, it is a chance to close out a series that has stayed relevant inside the program for a few seasons, and to do it with the coach who remembers the last setback most vividly. Whether that memory turns into motivation or just adds to the tension is part of what makes this one worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Collin Klein Is Rewarding The K-State Grind Fueling This Offense
Collin Klein has leaned into the kind of details that tend to define Kansas State football, and one of the clearest examples this fall is a program built around blocking. The Wildcats coach introduced EMAW 10 as a way to recognize players who do the dirty work that helps spring big plays, with rewards ranging from T-shirts and shorts to hoodies and dinners depending on how often those blocks show up.
It is the sort of internal incentive system that fits a team trying to make every rep matter, and it has already put a spotlight on senior wide receiver Jaron Tibbs. His blocking on a touchdown play against Washington State drew notice, the kind of selfless work Klein wants to keep highlighting as this offense tries to build more of its identity around effort and execution away from the ball. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State's Defense Just Made Avery Johnson's Rough Night Easier
A rough night for Avery Johnson and the Kansas State offense could have turned into a much more stressful September home opener, but the Wildcats defense made sure it never got there. Kansas State beat Washington State 34-7 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, and the tone was set by a unit that kept the Cougars bottled up for long stretches while Rodney Fields provided the biggest spark with a 75-yard touchdown run.
Washington State managed only 166 yards of offense, and after its lone touchdown the Cougars never found the end zone again. For a Kansas State team still looking to settle in on offense, that kind of defensive control is exactly what Collin Klein can point to as the Wildcats keep building, and it offered a reminder that this group can win in more than one way. [Read more 🡒]