K-State Wildcats vs. Iowa State Cyclones: Five things to watch in crucial Big 12 game
Farmageddon football doesn’t get much better than this.
Kansas State (8-3, 5-3 Big 12) will hit the road to take on Iowa State (9-2, 6-2 Big 12) at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium for a game that will have conference championship implications for both teams.
Here is everything you need to know to start preparing for this week’s game.
Kansas State at Iowa State: Game details
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa
TV: FOX
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City and KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita
Betting line: Iowa State by 2.5 with an O/U of 52.5.
Five things to know
1. K-State will be an underdog for the first time all season. The Wildcats were favored by at least a field goal in their first 11 games, but that is about to change. The Cyclones are the favorites in this game. K-State will head to Ames as a 2.5-point underdog. That will give the Wildcats an opportunity to pull of their first “upset” of the year. They went 1-1 as an underdog last season, as they beat Texas Tech on the road and lost to Texas.
2. This game will have Big 12 championship implications. K-State and Iowa State are both still dreaming about a conference title. The Cyclones can earn a berth in the league championship game by beating the Wildcats, so long as BYU, West Virginia, Kansas and Cincinnati don’t all lose on Saturday. They are in with a win in any other scenario. The Wildcats can get an invite if they beat Iowa State and two of the other first-place teams in the conference (Arizona State, BYU, Colorado) lose this weekend.
3. Matt Campbell has gotten the best of Chris Klieman lately. The Cyclones have won three of the past four games in this series, with the only loss coming by one point two years ago at Jack Trice Stadium. K-State won the Big 12 that season and Iowa State missed a bowl. It’s fair to say this is a difficult coaching matchup for Klieman.
4. Bundle up if you’re heading to the game. Weather isn’t expected to be a major factor like it was last season when a blizzard descended upon Bill Snyder Family Stadium as Iowa State won a shootout against K-State. But it will be cold. The projected high for Saturday is 25 and the low is 8. There is also a 40% chance of snow in the morning.
5. Iowa State has a suspect run defense. The Cyclones are allowing teams to rush for an average of 5.1 yards per attempt against them this season. That could be good news for the Wildcats, who have dominated against teams with weak run defenses. K-State won big against Oklahoma State (5.7 yards per rush), Cincinnati (4.8 yards per rush) and Arizona (4.7 yards per rush) earlier this season. The Wildcats are also coming off a game in which Avery Johnson and DJ Giddens led their team to 281 rushing yards.
This story was originally published November 25, 2024 at 6:30 AM.