K-State Wildcats vs. Stanford Cardinal: Prediction, preview, game time, TV, line
THE DETAILS
Kickoff: 11 a.m. Saturday
Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
TV: Fox Sports 1
Radio: KKGQ (92.3 FM) in Wichita, KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City
The line: K-State by 2 1/2
PREDICTION
It’s fitting that Kansas State and Stanford will open the season against each other on a neutral field.
They are evenly matched teams.
K-State is coming off a forgettable season that ended on a five-game losing skid. But the Wildcats return one of the nation’s most experienced quarterbacks in Skylar Thompson and appear poised to return to their winning ways after adding a handful of impact transfers.
Stanford is coming off a promising season that ended on a four-game winning streak. But the Cardinal must now replace several key starters on both sides of the ball, including veteran quarterback Davis Mills, who is now playing for the Houston Texans.
In other words, momentum shouldn’t mean anything on Saturday.
ESPN college football statistician Bill Connelly thinks this game will be so close that his projected score is a 30-30 tie. But the Wildcats win the tiebreaker with victory odds of 52%.
On paper, Stanford seems to be have the more talented roster, but I like the Wildcats in this matchup for two key factors.
1. K-State has a big edge in experience. Stanford coach David Shaw has said the Cardinal will rotate quarterbacks between senior Jack West and sophomore Tanner McKee. That is rarely a winning strategy, especially when the quarterback on the other side of the field has already made 30 career starts.
2. Stanford’s defense was among the worst in the Pac-12 last season, allowing 222 yards per game. K-State’s run-oriented offense should be able to produce something close to that total and control the clock with Deuce Vaughn.
If that happens, the Wildcats should outlast the Cardinal and win a back-and-forth game that will go down as their second nonconference victory over a team from a power league since 2012.
Kansas State 31, Stanford 27
This story was originally published September 4, 2021 at 5:00 AM.