Well, it is official, Kansas State knows who they are playing and when they are playing them in 2024. The Wildcats will play six games in Bill Snyder Family Stadium this season and six games away. This season K-State will have two bye weeks towards the beginning and end of the season.
Kansas State will face three of the teams joining the conference this summer and three of the teams that joined in the summer of 2023. The Wildcats will travel to Colorado for the first time since 2010 before the Buffaloes left for the Pac 12.
So which games should Kansas State fans circle on the schedule as the most important? Well, I am here to tell you just that. Let's look at the most intriguing games for the Wildcats this season.
Arizona is an interesting game for Kansas State. While Arizona is joining the Big 12, this game will be counted towards Big 12 standings and will be considered a non-conference game.
Big 12’s 2024 schedule will be released at 11 am ET. Because of previous scheduling contracts, Baylor at Utah (Sept 7) & Arizona at Kansas State (Sept 14) will be non-conference games & not Big 12 contests
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) January 30, 2024
However, this game is one to circle and watch because while conference games are of the utmost importance, this will still be a tough matchup for K-State. Arizona lost their head coach Jedd Fisch to Washington after Kalen DeBoer took over for the retired Nick Saban at Alabama. Fisch led Arizona to a 10-3 season going 7-2 in the Pac-12 with losses to Washington and USC.
Arizona might have lost some of their firepower, but they will still be a tough matchup for Kansas State. This will be Avery Johnson's first game against another Power 5 opponent as a full-time starter. Yes everyone knew Johnson was going to be the full-time starter when he played in the bowl game, but this will be just his third game of the season as the consistent starter.
This is a game I am circling for Kansas State, it could get interesting, but luckily Johnson and the Wildcats will be playing in front of their home crowd and get all the support they need.
Oklahoma State lost to Texas in the Big 12 Championship game in 2023 and is looking to build upon that performance in 2024. When Kansas State and Oklahoma State matched up in 2023, the Wildcats only had one loss and thought going and playing a 2-2 Cowboys team would add one to the win column. Well, this is where I say Kansas State's season went a little wrong.
The Wildcats got beat 29-21 by the Cowboys two games after getting beat by Missouri on a last-second 61-yard field goal. K-State was hungry to get back out on the field and prove they were a better team than what showed against Mizzou. This made Kansas State 3-2 and their hopes of a playoff out the door.
I think Oklahoma State and Kansas State are the top two teams in the Big 12 now that Oklahoma and Texas are leaving. They are the only other teams besides TCU that have been in the conference championship in the last few years. So, this is a game everyone needs to keep track of because the outcome just might affect what happens at the end of the season.
Now I know what people are going to say. Colorado was a big shot last year and did not live up to the hype, so why is this a game to watch? Well, this is the first time Kansas State and Colorado will be playing each other since 2010 before the Buffaloes decided to leave the Big 12.
Well now they have come crawling back and we have a renewed matchup. I am not going to say a ton about this game other than the renewed rivalry, but it is worth noting this will be Colorado's homecoming game. Kansas State is going to have to go and play big to spoil the Buffaloes homecoming festivities. I hope Chris Klieman has something planned for Deion Sanders because Prime Time is going to bring everything.
This is a game all Kansas State and Kansas fans circle on the schedule every year. the Sunflower Showdown is a game everyone loves in every sport. Well, Kansas fans may not love it in football because they have not beaten the Wildcats in 15 years. That is exactly why I am circling this game more than ever.
Kansas was always the butt of the joke in Big 12 football, but over the last two seasons under head coach Lance Leipold, the Jayhawks have shown promise. In the last two seasons, Kansas has started undefeated for the first five to six games, however, they lose their first game and it is downhill from there. Unfortunately, or fortunately for Kansas State fans, by the time Kansas plays Kansas State, they are on their downhill spiral.
So while I think this will be a good game, I think Johnson is going to get his first win over the Jayhawks as a starter and make it 16 straight for Kansas State.
Iowa State is a team that for some reason always seems to give Kansas State a hard time. In 2023 the Cyclones slammed the door on Kansas State's championship game hopes by beating them 42-35 in Manhattan. That is a game a lot of Wildcat fans probably want to forget.
So why am I circling a game against a team that was 7-6 in 2023? Well, this is the last game of the season. This game could affect whether or not the Wildcats make it to a championship game or not. Or if Kansas State is already in the championship game, it could affect playoff standings. The fact that this game is going to be played in Ames, Iowa is also a big factor. Ames is a tough play to go and play and playoff chances are on the line, this is going to be the game to watch this season.