Kansas State's season kicks off with a global twist on a classic rivalry — and if projections hold, it could end in the College Football Playoff.
Athlon Sports put the Wildcats on its short list of first-time contenders.
The outlet named K-State one of five teams with the best shot at making the CFP for the first time in 2025. Florida, South Carolina, Miami, and Illinois round out the list.
The Wildcats are already drawing national attention, coming in at No. 12 in USA Today’s preseason Top 25, No. 16 in Joel Klatt’s post-spring rankings, and No. 21 in ESPN’s Football Power Index — the highest of any Big 12 team.
Athlon projects K-State as a legit Big 12 title threat, calling them “one of a handful of teams – BYU, Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, TCU, Utah, and Texas Tech – capable of pushing for a spot in the conference title game.”
Athlon Sports named Kansas State as the projected Big 12 champion and slotted the Wildcats into the No. 4 seed of the 2025 College Football Playoff. Can Chris Klieman’s team break through in the new-look Big 12?https://t.co/sYIdhnXdug
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Junior quarterback Avery Johnson is expected to lead the charge. After a breakout 2024 campaign where he averaged 255.2 total yards and scored 32 touchdowns in 13 starts, he’s primed for a major leap.
“Johnson is just scratching the surface,” Athlon writes. “With another offseason to develop, he should emerge as one of the top quarterbacks in college football.”
According to KFord’s projections, K-State is favored in every game next season.
The toughest matchups? Road games at Utah (53% win probability) and Baylor (56%). Still, the Wildcats sit atop the nation in beating the Vegas spread at home — a nod to the program’s elite home-field advantage.
Defensively, Kansas State brings back five starters from a unit that held Big 12 offenses to just 5.2 yards per play last season.
Linebacker Austin Romaine and safety VJ Payne headline a group that should be among the conference’s best. The biggest question mark? A rebuilt secondary.
“The front should be among the best in the conference, but [head coach Chris] Klieman will have to retool the secondary,” Athlon notes.
The season opener sets the tone.
K-State meets Iowa State overseas in a special international edition of “Farmageddon.” If things go as expected, that Week 1 clash could serve as a preview of a Big 12 title showdown later in the year.
With a rising star at quarterback, a battle-tested defense, and momentum on their side, the Wildcats have all the ingredients to turn preseason buzz into playoff reality.