Avery Johnson is gearing up to be the full-time starter for Kansas State in the sophomore year of his career. Johnson saw that no matter what level a team is, winning in college football is not easy.
The 2024-2025 season is only a few weeks away and the Wildcats start out their season with three non-conference games. Of course, it looks like only two with the third game against Arizona, a now official member of the Big 12, but due to a non-conference series scheduled before Arizona joined the Big 12, it will not count towards conference play.
The Wildcats are set to play a tough 2024-2025 schedule in football this season, playing three of the four newcomers to the conference along with the conference runner-up in Oklahoma State.
However, there are always games on the schedule that look a lot easier than others. Those games can be known as trap games and K-State has found themselves in their fair share of trap games.
So looking at the 2024-2025 season, which five games could be considered trap games?
Kansas State at Tulane
K-State is set to play Tulane in their second game of the season just like they did two seasons ago. They are hoping to avoid what happened back in 2022 hen the Wildcats lost 10-7 to the Green wave, a game that definitely impacted their College Football Playoff chances.
Tulane is more vulnerable this season with a new roster adn new head coach, but definitely not a team to sleep on. K-State will have to travel to New Orleans for this game, so they need to be ready for Tulane to put up a big fight at home.
Kansas State at BYU
BYU is entering their second season in the Big 12, and while they aren't looking like a contender for a Big 12 title this season, that doesn't mean they can't be a dangerous team. Kansas State will have to travel to Provo to play the Cougars this season, and BYU knows how to play well in front of a home crowd. This should be an easy win for the Wildcats, but that is the textbook definition of a trap game.
Kansas State at Houston
Kansas State put a beat down on Houston last season, their first in the Big 12. They shut out the Cougars and struggled as one of the worst teams in the conference. However, Houston has made some changed to their program, including bringing in Willie Fritz, Tulane's former coach, the coach that beat the Wildcats two seasons ago.
Now in a power conference, Fritz has more resources to build an elite program like he did at Tulane. He still has a lot to learn, but these two teams face off later in the season, and by then Fritz could have his feet under him. It's a dangerous game that the Wildcats need to be ready for.
Kansas State vs. Arizona State
As a new team in the conference, Arizona State is going to have to get to know the Big 12. While the Sun Devils come from a power conference, they also are coming off a season where they struggled. This is a trap game because not only is Arizona State a team that probably won't be able to match up with Kansas State, but it's at home, and sometimes that can make a game seem even easier.
Kansas State vs. Cincinnati
K-State's game against Cincinnati will be their last home game of the season which will mean a lot to the seniors on this team. However, Cincinnati finished close to the bottom of the conference last season and probably won't improve much this season. K-State has to stay focused especially at the end of the season and before a big game against Iowa State.