K-State Wildcats vs. Colorado Buffaloes: Football game time, TV, odds, prediction
Another week, another nationally televised game with Big 12 championship implications for the Kansas State football team.
The Wildcats will play their fifth straight game on either FOX or ESPN when they head to Folsom Field and take on the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday night.
This might be the biggest game of the bunch. Why? Because of the opponent. Nobody in the Big 12 commands more eyeballs than Colorado. Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are must-see TV every Saturday during the fall.
Add in the fact that both the Buffaloes and the Wildcats are off to a 4-1 starts this season and this is a game worth staying up for.
Here’s everything you need to know about the game ...
No. 19 Kansas State at Colorado
Kickoff: 9:15 p.m. Saturday
Where: Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado
TV/stream: ESPN
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City, KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita
The line: Kansas State by 4 with an O/U of 56.5.
K-State game prediction
Colorado and K-State should both expect to score plenty of touchdowns Saturday night.
The Wildcats boast the No. 1 rushing offense in the Big 12 and average 6.9 yards per attempt behind running back DJ Giddens. That could be a big advantage for them as they look to gain yards on the ground against a defense that ranks in the bottom half of the conference after allowing 780 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns in its first five games.
The Buffaloes are a pass-first team, and starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders has found success through the air this season. Colorado has already thrown for 1,630 yards and 14 touchdowns this year, which is not good news for a K-State defense that is allowing 7.7 yards per pass attempt.
Alan Bowman (364 yards), Noah Fifita (268 yards) and Darian Mensah (342 yards) all had big games against the Wildcats, and none of them can scramble like Sanders. His ability to extend plays could put extra pressure on the K-State secondary and force them to stay in coverage much longer than usual.
The team that can play to its strength will have an advantage.
If both teams churn out yards with their contrasting styles then fans could be in for a Big 12 After Dark shootout that comes down to the final possession.
I tend to favor the home team in those games.
K-State has not been stellar on the road over the past two seasons. Not only did they lose their last road trip 38-9 at BYU, the Wildcats have gone 3-4 in their past seven away games. They haven’t covered the spread as a road favorite since 2022. Chris Klieman has also struggled after bye weeks, as he owns a 1-4 record in those situations, excluding the pandemic season of 2020.
Colorado has looked better than expected in its past three games, beating Colorado State, Baylor and UCF by an aggregate score of 114-61.
It’s hard to pick against Coach Prime right now.
Colorado 31, Kansas State 24
Last week’s prediction: K-State 28, Oklahoma State 21
Actual score: K-State 42, Oklahoma State 20
Season record: 4-1
Season record ATS: 2-3
Season record O/U: 2-3.