College Football

2024 Kansas State football predictions: Ranked No. 18 by RJ Young

Updated Aug. 12, 2024 10:30 a.m. ET

FOX Sports National College Football Analyst

Kansas State Wildcats ranking: 18/134

[Check out RJ Young's ultimate 134 college football rankings here]

Conference ranking: 3rd in Big 12
Teams ahead of them: USC (17), Notre Dame (16), Oklahoma State (15), Penn State (14), Tennessee (13)
Teams behind them: Clemson (19), Kansas (20), West Virginia (21), Texas A&M (22), Arizona (23)

[Kansas State 2024 schedule]

RJ's take: With the addition of former Colorado running back Dylan Edwards, Chris Klieman’s K-State will once again have the necessary speed and versatility in the backfield to take advantage of their old-school run-oriented attack.

Avery Johnson, who succeeded Howard as the starter in Manhattan, is one of the most capable dual-threat quarterbacks in the Big 12. The 2023 Pop Tarts Bowl MVP — put that on a business card, Avery — became the first K-State true freshman quarterback to start and win a bowl game.

He also succeeded in earning honorable mention as Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year despite making just two starts and playing in eight games. This while DJ Giddens enjoyed a breakout year with 1,223 rush yards at 5.5 yards per rush as a sophomore.

Edwards has the kind of talent that could lead to him becoming as productive as Giddens was last year, though he didn’t show much in 2023 at Colorado. Aside from an outstanding first game — five catches for 135 yards with three TDs against No. 17 Texas Christian — he struggled behind an awful offensive line and with securing the ball. In 2023, he never rushed for more than 57 yards in a single game and managed to fumble the ball three times as he rushed for TDs (1) in CU’s final 11 games. And new co-OC Matt Wells knows exactly what to do with that kind of talent to help Edwards produce at a high level.

He’ll get the chance to reset at a program that expects to compete for the Big 12 title and prepare for a meeting against his former team, CU, on Oct. 12.

Kansas State Wildcats' Win Total Odds: Over 9.5 (+125) Under 9.5 (-145)

[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]