It’s an exciting time to be a college football fan, and one fan base that is excited for the season is Kansas State football fans. The Wildcats have a good amount of hype coming into the 2024 season as they have their sights set on a Big 12 title and the College Football Playoff now that it is expanded to 12 teams.
We're almost there. Another long college football offseason is almost over as the calendar now reads August, and the first games will begin on the 24th. College football fans everywhere are eager for the new beginning. College football fever is rampant across the country as we get closer to the season, but this offseason was a bit easier than others because of the new EA Sports NCAA 25 video game that just came out in mid July.
First off, there are going to be some rules changes this year in college football, and some fans aren’t going to like them. Perhaps the biggest change is the addition of the two-minute warning, like in the NFL. If you are like most college football fans, you're getting sick of the amount of commercials that we see during games. Well, the two-minute warning is just another way for TV Networks to pack another break into the action.
There are more changes, however, and these are ones that more fans in favor of, but some still don't like them. College football is going to look completely different next year because of expansion to the College Football Playoff to 12 teams and conference realignment. California schools playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference? Yeah, things are changing.
Conference realignment has made things look a lot different. The power five is no longer a thing as the Pac-12 is essentially dead. Every team left for a new conference except for Oregon State and Washington State. Those two teams have scheduling alliances with the Mountain West, but they aren't actually in the conference.
Every other Pac-12 school found a new home. Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State are now in the Big 12. Oregon, Oregon State, USC and UCLA joined the Big Ten. Lastly, Cal and Stanford joined the ACC (makes a ton of sense, right?).
The other big change with conferences comes in the SEC. Oklahoma and Texas are both leaving the Big 12 and they will join the SEC. The Big Ten and the SEC are loaded with good teams, and some think that things could be heading in the direction of two super conferences.
This season, we will also see 12 teams make the College Football Playoff instead of just four. For about a month, the College Football Playoff will be happening. Some people aren’t in favor of the big expansion, but there will be more marquee college football games, and it’s hard to be too upset about that.
All in all, this is going to be one of the biggest college football seasons of all time. The game is changing, and this is the start of a new era.
Can Kansas State football make the College Football Playoff?
The Kansas State football team had a solid season in 2023 as they ended up finishing 9-4. The Wildcats finished with an 8-4 record in the regular season and then went on to defeat NC State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl to get win number nine. Kansas State was close to making it into the Big 12 championship game last season as Oklahoma State got in with a 7-2 conference record, and the Wildcats finished with a 6-3 conference record. They had a solid year, but this season, they are hoping to take the next step and find a way into the conference championship game.
The Big 12 is pretty open this season now that Texas and Oklahoma are out of the conference, and Kansas State is expected to be one of the best teams. The competition isn't going to be very stiff as the favorite in the conference is Utah and there could very well be no preseason top-10 teams from the Big 12. This season is a good opportunity for a team like Kansas State to make a run at the Big 12 title.
The new-look Big 12 seems like it is going to be a lot of fun. If Texas and Oklahoma were still in the conference, they would certainly be two of the top favorites to win the conference. However, with their move to the SEC, the door is wide open for a ton of teams, and some new additions from the Pac-12 are expected to compete as well.
Right now, the betting favorite to win the Big 12 is Utah, but Kansas State football isn't far behind them. Arizona is ranked to start the preseason as well and they should be solid, and Colorado believes that they are the best team in the conference. No one else believes that, but the Buffaloes expect to compete. We'll see if they are actually a threat.
Because of the strength of the conference, it seems like Kansas State will need to win the Big 12 to get into the College Football Playoff. Here is one flaw that will doom their hopes of making that happen:
Quarterback play
It seems like the three main contenders for the Big 12 this season are Utah, Oklahoma State and Kansas State. Whoever goes on to win the conference will earn an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they aren't going to be the team that wins the conference, and it could be because of quarterback play.
When you take a look at Kansas State football, Oklahoma State and Utah, there is something that the Utes and Cowboys both have that the Wildcats don't have: an experienced QB. Cam Rising will be back this season for Utah which will be huge for them as they were a QB away from being a very good team last year. The Cowboys will have Alan Bowman back, who helped take the team to the Big 12 title game last year. Those two QBs have a combined nine years of playing experience. They are two of the most experienced QBs in college football. That's something that Kansas State just doesn't have, and it will cost them.
The Wildcats will be breaking in Avery Johnson this season to replace Will Howard at the QB position, and he has a lot of promise. He was a top-100 recruit, but it's going to take him some time to get acclimated to his new role. Because of that, the Big 12 will probably go to Utah or Oklahoma State this season.
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