Kansas State Wildcats' Dominance In Sunflower Showdown Isn't Expected To End Anytime Soon

The Kansas State Wildcats are once again the king of the state. 

They cruised to a 35-24, come-from-behind victory against the Kansas Jayhawks Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. It is the 18th straight win in the series for the Wildcats. 

And here's the kicker: the dominance doesn't expect to end any time soon. 

The Wildcats and Jayhawks are moving in complete opposite directions. Coach Collin Klein has Kansas State moving in a positive direction. Coach Lance Leipold could be on his last legs with Kansas. 

The Wildcats could be headed toward another winning season with a bowl appearance. At 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the Big 12 conference, there is still plenty of time to recover from the recent two-game losing streak. After cruising through the non-conference schedule, they ran into problems against the Cincinnati Bearcats and Houston Cougars. 

The Jayhawks were the perfect rebound opponent. 

After falling behind 17-10, the Wildcats dominated the remaining three quarters. Now, they look to extend the good fortunes this weekend on the road against the Arizona State Sun Devils. 

The reason for the separation between the programs is Klein. He has everything trending in the right direction. The Wildcats already have one of the top recruiting classes for 2027. And when he's not helping build the program,, he's out recruiting. The Wildcats have made plenty of offers to top talent in the 2028, 2029 and even 2030 classes. 

It will only get better with time, especially as Klein gets more comfortable in his new role. It is a completely different situation in Lawrence. The Jayhawks are showing no signs of improvement. 

Leipold could be coaching his final season during a tenure that has been full of disappointment. In six years, he has been unable to get them over the hump. The only success was in 2023 when the Jayhawks finished 9-4 and made the Guarantee Rate Bowl. 

The team morale can't be high because of the way the season has played out. The Jayhawks only two victories have come against Long Island University and Middle Tennessee State, a pair of teams that Power Five conference teams are supposed to defeat. 

In reality, the only positive coming from the Jayhawks program is the success story of former quarterback Jalon Daniels, who is now the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after Baker Mayfield was injured. 

So it wouldn't surprise me if the Wildcats dominance against the Jayhawks continues for at least a few more years.