The Big 12 conference game everyone will be talking about at the water cooler on Monday is between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Kansas State Wildcats. You’ll want to have your TV set to ESPN when they play at 12:00 PM ET on Saturday because, in the modern college football landscape, OSU vs KSU will become a de facto elimination game.
Oklahoma State and Kansas State are coming off of shocking losses which rattled the Big 12 landscape last weekend. Oklahoma State fought back at the end, but they got throttled for more than three quarters by the Utah Utes last week in Stillwater. Oklahoma State was, previously, the betting favorite, out of teams from the “old” Big 12, to challenge for the conference title in Arlington.
Kansas State went to BYU as a heavy favorite, lost by double digits, and gave up the most embarrassing punt return of the year a defense could imagine giving up. It was not the Week 4 anyone had drawn up for the Wildcats, who also entered the year with a very realistic chance to play for the conference championship.
The good news for both squads? Unlike their opponents last week, this game has absolutely nothing to do with the state of Utah.
Oklahoma State and Kansas State have their eyes set on a College Football Playoff berth, but the only way to control that future is by winning this game. It is hard to imagine either team makes it to a conference title game with multiple Big 12 losses, and it is increasingly unlikely that three Big 12 teams make the CFP. Thus, it appears there is no path to the College Football Playoff without a trip to that title game.
Both teams hang their hat on the run game. OSU does it with Ollie Gordon, likely to be the first running back taken in the 2025 NFL Draft, and KSU does it with a combination of young, highly touted quarterback Avery Johnson (one of the highest-ranked recruits to ever commit to KSU), and the RBU duo of DJ Giddens and Dylan Edwards.
Parker’s Pick: Kansas State. While their result was more shocking a week ago, being at home for a “get-right” game is a significant advantage.