Friday Night Lights, and it’s not even a conference game
All the jokes have already been made about Kansas State taking on a conference rival in a non-conference game, so we need new material.
As such, we’re just going to lean on our hopes that K-State kicks the pants off the Wildcats, and let everyone be confused for a minute.
The Game
The 14th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) host the 20th-ranked Arizona Wildcats (2-0, 0-0 Big 12).
This is the first time both K-State and their opponent have been in the top 20 in a game in Manhattan since 2014’s matchup with Auburn.
Arizona leads the all time series 5-1-1, but most of you weren’t alive yet the last time the teams met, a 31-0 slobberknocking in Tucson back in 1978. K-State’s lone win in the series was the meeting prior to that, a 42-27 win in 1969, also in Tucson. This will, however, be the first meeting between the schools in Manhattan.
Last season, Arizona kind of pulled a K-State on the Pac-12. Picked 8th in the conference’s preseason media poll, after a slow 3-3 start Arizona ripped off seven straight wins to end the season 10-3, closing out with a fairly convincing win over the traitorous Sooners in the Alamo Bowl.
However, the architect of their success departed after the season as Jedd Fisch took the vacancy left at Washington when Kalen DeBoer replaced Nick Saban at Alabama. The new boss is Brent Brennan, who managed to steer a moribund San Jose State program to a 34-48 record over six years.
Kickoff
Friday, September 13, 7:00pm CT at Bill Snyder Family Stadium (50,000) in Manhattan, Kansas.
Tickets
There are a very small number of scattered (i.e., none of them are adjacent) single tickets still available from the box office for $110 or $302. The secondary market ranges from $25 to $340, with the median being around $65.
Weather
Sunny and pleasant. Tailgating temps will be in the high 80s, but the temperature should settle at 80° at kickoff and slowly dip into the high 60s by closing time.
Odds
K-State opened as a 7.5 point favorite, and it hasn’t moved much; our friends at DraftKings have the good guys at -7 with the over at 61. That chalks up to a 34-27 win for K-State. The money line is -270 for K-State, +220 for Arizona. Oddshark’s computer is still hating on K-State, projecting a 41-22 blowout for the desert swarm; of course, they’ve been wrong all season, right?
Television
FOX, with Tim Brando, Devin Gardner, and Josh Sims.
Radio
As always, Wyatt Thompson, Stan Weber, and Matt Walters will be on hand on the K-State Sports Network as well as via satellite on SiriusXM 84.
Internet Streaming
The game will stream on FOX Sports, and should not require a cable/satellite subscription since the game is on the over-the-air network. Audio available via kstatesports.com. Live stats provided by K-State Sports.
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