Thirty days until K-State kicks off the 2024 football season against UT Martin at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. K-State is one of the favorites to win the Big 12, but their work is cut out for them to make it a reality. Since it is officially August, it is time for my official K-State football schedule preview with predictions for every game and my best-case and worst-case scenarios for how the season might play out. Let’s GO!

UT Martin August 31^st

The University of Tennessee at Martin, a member of the Big South Conference in the FCS division, may be a solid first test for the Wildcats. They had a good season in 2023, going 5-1 in their conference, tying for first place, and they return 14 starters off of the 2023 team. Some of Chris Klieman’s K-State teams have struggled early against similar caliber competition, but K-State’s returning cast and newcomers should take care of business against the Skyhawks.

Prediction: Win. 1-0.

at Tulane September 7^th

Tulane was 8-0 in the AAC and 11-3 overall in 2023. They lost to SMU in the AAC championship game, followed by a loss to Virginia Tech in the Military Bowl. After last season, Tulane head coach Willie Fritz left to coach Houston, and Jon Sumrall, Troy’s head coach, came to Tulane to take over the program. K-State lost to Tulane at home in 2022, meaning there is a revenge factor to this game. Tulane should be good, but K-State should be as well. I don’t like that it is on the road, but Sumrall will still be in the early stages of implementing his systems, so the Wildcats are playing Tulane at a good time. K-State should get the win here.

Prediction: Win. 2-0.

Arizona September 13^th

This matchup is a non-conference game scheduled before Arizona joined the Big 12, so it will not count in the Big 12 standings. It will be K-State’s first big test of 2024, and it will be played on a Friday evening and broadcast nationally on Fox. The winner of this game will be considered one of the early favorites to win the Big 12, so it is an opportunity for the Wildcats to make a good impression in a nationally televised game. Arizona was 10-3 last season, and 7-2 in the Pac-12. They ended up the season beating Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl and finished ranked number 11 in the AP poll. Head coach Jedd Fisch left to coach Washington, and Brent Brennan from San Jose State was hired as head coach. Most prognosticators have Arizona as a top-five Big 12 team, so this game should be quite the battle. Brennan will be the second first-year coach that Klieman will go against, so K-State should have an advantage since this game is early in the season. Arizona probably has more talent than K-State, but I still give K-State a slight edge. This one could go either way.

Prediction: Win. 3-0.

at BYU September 21^st

BYU was 2-7 in the Big 12 in 2023, 5-7 overall. The Cougars are not expected to be much better in 2024, so knowing what I know now, I think K-State gets it done in Provo.

Prediction: Win. 4-0.

Oklahoma State September 28^th

K-State plays the Cowboys on September 28th, and Oklahoma State is always a contender to win the Big 12. This means that two of the Wildcats’ first five games will be against strong contenders to win the league. This matchup is a huge early-season game that will have major implications for who might end up playing in Arlington at the end of the season. We’ll probably know by the end of the day on the 28th if K-State is a contender or a pretender to win the league. I’m glad this game is at home. I could see it going either way, but I’ll give K-State the win due to the home-field advantage.

Prediction: Win. 5-0.

at Colorado October 12^th

Colorado was 1-8 in the Pac-12, 4-8 overall, in 2023, but they continue to talk a big game and hope to make a big splash in the Big 12 in 2024. Shedeur Sanders, son of head coach Deion Sanders, was voted preseason first-team all-Big 12 quarterback, but K-State quarterback Avery Johnson might have something to say about that. It will be the first time the former conference foe football programs have played each other since 2010. I’m not buying the Colorado hype until I see them start to live up to it. I think the Wildcats will win here.

Prediction: Win. 6-0.

at West Virginia October 19^th

This game in Morgantown stuck out to me on the schedule as a game to be worried about. West Virginia was 6-3, 9-4 overall, in the Big 12 in 2023. The 6-3 conference record was the same as K-State’s. West Virginia returns 13 starters from the 2023 squad, including quarterback Garrett Greene, and is looking to improve on a good season last year. This game will not be easy, and, likely, both teams will still be in the hunt in mid-October. I don’t think K-State will go undefeated, so I’ve got to pick a stumble or two somewhere, and this is one.

Prediction: Loss. 6-1.

Kansas October 26^th

Is Kansas a contender or a pretender? We will likely know the answer to that question by the time this game kicks off. Kansas hasn’t won the Sunflower Showdown since 2008, but they think they have the roster and coaching staff to beat K-State this year. I’ll still believe it when I see it, but I have this game circled on my calendar as the home game of the year. Will Jalon Daniels be KU’s quarterback all season? Will he be able to stay healthy? If he plays against K-State, Kansas has a chance. If he doesn’t, I don’t think they do. For that main reason, I’m picking K-State.

Prediction: Win. 7-1.

at Houston November 2^nd

Houston was 2-7 in the Big 12 in 2023 and 4-8 overall. They have a new coach in 2024, Willie Fritz from Tulane, replacing Dana Holgorsen. It will be interesting to see if Fritz has things turned around by November. This game will be the third first-year coach Klieman faces in 2024. Most predictions I’ve seen have Houston finishing near the bottom of the Big 12. There is no reason to argue that at this point. K-State should get the win here.

Prediction: Win. 8-1.

Arizona State November 16^th

K-State and Arizona State haven’t played each other since the Holiday Bowl in 2002. It’s difficult to say if Arizona State might make some noise in this version of the Big 12. They were 3-9 in the Pac 12 in 2023 and lost their final game of the season to Arizona, 59-23. I’m guessing not.

Prediction: Win. 9-1.

Cincinnati November 23^rd

The Bearcats finished last in the Big 12 in 2023 with a 1-8 conference record. Along with Houston, Cincinnati is picked near the bottom of the Big 12. There is no reason to think that K-State won’t take care of business.

Prediction: Win. 10-1.

at Iowa State November 30^th

Iowa State is another conference contender in 2024, as they return a lot of production from the 2023 squad. Traveling to Ames at the end of November is never easy, and I still can’t get that nightmare snow game in Manhattan last season out of my head. I think this may be another loss for the Wildcats.

Prediction: Loss. 10-2.

Would a 7-2 conference record get K-State into the Big 12 title game? Possibly. Oklahoma State got in last year with two conference losses. 8-1 would be even better, and 9-0 would pretty much guarantee it.

Worst case scenario:

If the Wildcats struggle, there are more possible losses on the schedule. Tulane, Arizona, Oklahoma State, Kansas, and Colorado will not be easy games. Losing them all, along with the West Virginia and Iowa State losses that I predicted would make the Wildcats 5-7. I don’t see that happening unless some major injuries plague them, especially at the quarterback position.

Best case scenario:

Normally I am the realist when making these predictions, but this season it is my firm belief that every game on the schedule is winnable. If K-State shows up and brings their “A” game against the conference contenders, there is no reason that they cannot go undefeated and find themselves at 12-0 and solidly in the Big 12 championship game. There haven’t been many years in K-State football history that I have said if K-State brings their “A” game they will win every game. On second thought, I’m not sure that I’ve ever said it. With Oklahoma and/or Texas on the schedule every year and the talent gap between the programs, it never made sense to be overly confident in that happening. This year the huge talent gap doesn’t exist against anyone. That will make for some exciting possibilities and a football season to look forward to.