Big 12 · Collin Klein, year 1 (3-0) · Bill Snyder Family Stadium · 50,000 · 51,774 avg in 2026
LastW 31–20 vs Tulane · Sat Sep 19 · Avery Johnson 227 pass yds, 152 rush yds, 2 TD
Nextat Cincinnati · Sat Sep 26 · 7 pm ET · Nippert Stadium · Kansas State by 6 · series 3-4, won the last 3 · Game preview
Updated Tue Sep 22 · through week 3
| Wk | Date | Us | Opp | Line | Opponent | Result | Record | Conf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 5 | #32 | #204 | -41✓ | Nicholls | W 71–3 129 | 1-0 | 0-0 |
| 2 | Sep 12 | #33 | #41 | -17.5✓ | Washington State | W 34–7 124 | 2-0 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Sep 19 | #26 | #70 | -20.5✗ | Tulane | W 31–20 124 | 3-0 | 0-0 |
| 4 | Sep 26 | #27 | #102 | -6 | @Cincinnati | |||
| 6 | Oct 10 | Houston | ||||||
| 7 | Oct 17 | Kansas | ||||||
| 8 | Oct 24 | @Arizona State | ||||||
| 9 | Oct 31 | @Colorado | ||||||
| 10 | Nov 7 | Oklahoma State | ||||||
| 11 | Nov 14 | @TCU | ||||||
| 12 | Nov 21 | Arizona | ||||||
| 13 | Nov 28 | @Iowa State |
| Date | Opp | Result | Yds | TO | TOP | EPA/play | Success% | Explosive% | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 19 | Tulane | W 31–20 | 428 | 0 | 33:41 | +0.360 | 47.8% | 133.5% | Defense's roughest night |
| Sep 12 | Washington State | W 34–7 | 487 | 2 | 34:20 | +0.133 | 46.1% | 136.4% | Season-low EPA/play |
| Sep 5 | Nicholls | W 71–3 | 559 | 1 | 33:43 | +0.588 | 65.3% | 124.1% | Season-high EPA/play |
| Season average (3 games) | 491 | 1.0 | +0.360 | 53.0% | 131.3% | ||||
Kansas State is the program Bill Snyder dragged out of the sport's deepest hole and built on patience — and after a sideways 6-6 year and Chris Klieman's retirement, it just handed the keys to one of its own, Collin Klein.
Fans have heard their program called a Snyder-only fluke for thirty years — that without one coach K-State reverts to the bottom. They believe the patience and the toughness are the program, not the…
The season in chapters
What fans said
Real posts from the day of the game, chosen by community score · usernames not shown
What it is like to watch them2025 · 6-6 · last season
✓ measured from 12 games · ranks are among Big 12 teams the same season
Recent form · last 10 games · incl. 2025
Warming. 7-3 over the last 10, and won the last four.
I would rather take a shot on a team with a lot of change, a lot of newness; maybe they end up being a really special team this year
Next Sep 26
vs Cincinnati · away
✓ fact on line · ~ our read on style
Market outlook
Sportsbook consensus · best odds across multiple books · 2026-09-22
the open questionis this a real, durable shift in the program's tier?
Kansas State has slipped from elite-tier consistency — their first step below the top-14% tier since 2024 raises questions about sustaining a #17 AP finish with a 6-6 record.
our readdeveloping
Collin Klein begins his first season at Kansas State with a 6-6 even record and an uneasy fanbase questioning if the coordinator-driven reshaping can sustain the program's legacy.
our readdeveloping
Collin Klein inherits a 6-6 even record and a program built on Bill Snyder's legacy, now reshaped by coordinator changes and the pressure to sustain its upper-tier status.
our readdeveloping
Klieman's 6-6 season defies the solo market signal of a win total bump — Snyder’s legacy still demands patience in Manhattan.
our readdeveloping
Collin Klein inherits a 69% production returning roster after replacing Chris Klieman — the program's identity demands stability, not just a new name on the sideline.
our readdeveloping
Garrett Oakley is used almost exclusively underneath -- a low share of his targets are downfield shots.
our readbackground
Jaron Tibbs is a real deep-ball threat -- a high share of his targets come on throws past the sticks.
our readbackground
Jayce Brown is a real deep-ball threat -- a high share of his targets come on throws past the sticks.
our readbackground
Kansas State has slipped from elite-tier consistency — the first time below the top-11% tier since 2024, and the gap from the #17 AP peak is structural, not just a roster rebuild.
our readdeveloping
Outcome band · Kansas State · 2026
Floor, base and ceiling come from the season-path projection, which plays out conference title games and the CFP — so a ceiling can run past 12 games.
Kansas State has slipped from dynasty-caliber territory — down to the top 14% of FBS by three-year power rating, from the top 12%. It is a 26-11 record over the last three regular seasons. Three-year power readings show a slip — the room is split on whether this is a dip or a trend.
The 'resurgence is real' read: the numbers are starting to back the hype.
The 'wait and see' counter -- power shifts often get overread before the season proves them.
The optimistic read: momentum, and the 'this is real' takes.
This event was in 192 of 2436 board posts (8%) over the last 60 days — engaged but not consumed. Fan text shown verbatim, attributed to the community not the individual poster.
The boards ≠ the fanbase: a vocal, self-selected slice.
Fan mood index · most recent r/cfb data
More in this tab
Kansas State is the program Bill Snyder built from worst-in-FBS-history into Big 12 power — and the patience that legacy still rewards.
The program ledger
since 2025Kansas State promotes Logan Pawloski to head coach
Pawloski's promotion signals Klieman is betting on internal continuity while the win total climbs from 7.5 to 8.5 — the EDGE pressure and two draft departures make keeping the developmental pipeline intact a non-negotiable right now.
CB Ben Osueke transfer commits from Temple
CB room down 4 departures with McIntosh gone and only 2 added — Osueke steps out of the American into a Big 12 corner battle where the depth chart has a real hole, not a depth spot.
K-State loses two offensive linemen to season-ending absences
Two O-line starters gone before kickoff — Klein's unit was already thin after two NFL Draft departures, and the depth chart just got tested 16 days early.
K-State releases Week 1 depth chart
Depth chart out and EDGE is still the pressure point — two NFL exits, a #50 class, and a coordinator overhaul all collide on that one line before the Wildcats play a snap.
Win total (line at 8.5) still unmoved 13d after "K-State loses two offensive linemen to season-ending absences"
The market hasn't budged since "K-State loses two offensive linemen to season-ending absences" broke on 2026-08-20 — either the books see it as already priced in, or this one's genuinely slipped past them.
Win total (line at 8.5) still unmoved 12d after "K-State loses two offensive linemen to season-ending absences"
The market hasn't budged since "K-State loses two offensive linemen to season-ending absences" broke on 2026-08-20 — either the books see it as already priced in, or this one's genuinely slipped past them.
Top 3 commits
Recruiting Footprint · 2026
OK leads the 2026 class with 4 commits. National footprint reaching 12 states.
Where they recruit · 2023-2026
99 signees across 26 states, 2023-2026. KS leads the pull.
That is 26.7% of every high-school FBS signee KS produced over those cycles — the biggest share any program takes — Kansas is next. The full map →
Miles from home · 2026 roster
The median Kansas State player grew up 391 miles from campus.
Half this roster came from closer than that; half came from farther.
Straight-line distance from each player's listed hometown to Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Hometowns are placed at city-centroid precision, not street address — fine at this scale, but a player's true door-to-door number can differ by a few miles. 107 of 112 listed players have a geocoded hometown. Source: CFBD roster hometowns.
Top community posts · last 12 months · r/cfb
Fan confidence in a typical range for this program right now
43rd percentile among FBS programs
Just one AP voter, Greg Luca (San Antonio Express-News), has them ranked — at #25. The other 67 voters left them off entirely.
Individual AP Top 25 ballots, AP ballot, week 3, 2026 — 68 voters tracked.
0% of tipped/broken-up passes have turned into picks — below the ~19% league average, and due for more.
0 interceptions of 10 disrupted passes (10 deflected, 0 intercepted), 2026 only.
8 penalties committed, 10 drawn on opponents — a near-even trade all season.
89 penalty yards committed vs. 71 drawn on opponents, 2026 season total.
Outcome band · Kansas State · 2026
Recruiting Footprint · 2026