ESPN was probably Kansas State's biggest fan in the college football preseason predictions. The prominent news outlet lauded the Wildcats as the class of the Big 12 and a potential postseason contender.
Now, not as much. The program's plummet last season, combined with the rise of teams like BYU and Texas Tech, has made Kansas State an afterthought to many outsiders. ESPN is one of them, throwing shots at the Wildcats in their latest conference predictions. They picked Texas Tech to repeat as Big 12 champions in 2026.
The article wrote:
"Kansas State went 2-5 in one-score finishes in 2025, 1-4 in Big 12 play, and between close losses and all the new demands of modern roster management, head coach Chris Klieman retired and was replaced by up-and-comer (and former K-State quarterback) Collin Klein. His first Wildcats roster will look awfully different, with over 30 players transferring out and 25 coming in (to date), but he did hold onto hot-and-cold quarterback Avery Johnson."
Kansas State has a relatively favorable schedule next season, but key losses throughout the lineup and a lack of premier matchups may knock them back. The Wildcats finished last season with six wins, with several one-score games that could have flipped either way. Early losses eliminated any conference title hopes, and each given defeat only worsened the odds.
Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson failed to elevate his play, and the running game staggered after star Dylan Edwards was in and out of the lineup with an ankle injury. The defense catered as well, as they couldn't stop teams like Army or Utah on the ground. A potentially historic season was relegated to a borderline bowl-contending year in Manhattan, KS.
Kansas State legend and new coach Collin Klein wants to re-establish championship standards within the program. He won a Big 12 title for the team as a quarterback in 2012 and then again as the offensive coordinator in 2022.
“I love challenges and doing hard things," Klein said in his introductory press conference. "To go and take this program where it’s never been is gonna be hard. I want it to be hard, I want it to be difficult. We’re gonna attack it together as a staff, as a fanbase, and as an administration, and we’re gonna take this program where it hasn’t been before.”