Kansas State has owned this rivalry for 17 straight years, and a rebuilding Kansas team walks into Manhattan's rival building a whole new quarterback room from scratch.
Bush’s Picks
KUKSU
KUKSU
OverUnder
Best BetKansas State
Kansas State brings back the more proven quarterback in Avery Johnson, a deep running back room, and 17 straight wins in this series — that's a lot of accumulated evidence to bet against. Kansas is still sorting out its starter, which is a shaky foundation for an upset on the road. Back the Wildcats to keep the streak going.
Kansas
+Kotelnicki back as OC after previous successful run
+Nearly 30 transfer additions to rebuild the roster
−Quarterback battle still unresolved this deep into offseason
−Lost 37 seniors, including 22 starters, from last year
−Back-to-back 5-7 seasons, no bowl since 2023
Kansas State
+Avery Johnson returns for senior season as proven starter
+Deep RB room: Joe Jackson plus Oregon, Oklahoma State transfers
+17 straight wins in this rivalry, won 42-17 last year
−First-year head coach and entirely new coordinating staff
−Johnson's overall production dipped some in 2025
Avery Johnson is back for his senior year in Manhattan, and that alone changes the math on this game. He threw for over 2,300 yards with 18 touchdowns last season and added 8 more scores on the ground, giving Kansas State a proven playmaker while Kansas is still auditioning quarterbacks. Cole Ballard, Isaiah Marshall and Chase Jenkins are all competing for the job Jalon Daniels left behind when he moved on to the NFL, and Lance Leipold hasn't tipped his hand.
The bigger story in Manhattan is the man calling the shots. Collin Klein, the former K-State quarterback and program icon, takes over as head coach with Sean Gleeson running the offense after his stint at Missouri and Jordan Peterson brought in to run the defense from Texas A&M. New staff, new systems, but the same personnel core — Joe Jackson, who set the school's single-season rushing record a year ago, headlines a running back room that also added transfers Jay Harris from Oregon and Rodney Fields from Oklahoma State.
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KU Kansas
KSU Kansas State
Kansas isn't walking in with nothing to offer. Andy Kotelnicki is back as offensive play-caller after a run away from Lawrence, and the Jayhawks brought in roughly 30 transfers to patch a roster that lost 37 seniors, including 22 who started games last season. It's a near-total rebuild for a program that's gone 5-7 in back-to-back years without sniffing a bowl since 2023.
Kansas Jayhawks
Oct 9?@ Utah—
Oct 2?vs Middle Tennessee—
Sep 19?vs Arizona State—
Sep 11?vs Missouri—
Sep 4?vs Long Island University—
Kansas State Wildcats
Oct 9?vs Houston—
Sep 25?@ Cincinnati—
Sep 19?vs Tulane—
Sep 12?vs Washington State—
Sep 5?vs Nicholls—
Recent form.
History isn't on Kansas's side here. Kansas State has won 17 straight in the Sunflower Showdown, the longest streak either school has held in a series dating back to 1902 — one of the 5 oldest rivalries in FBS. Last year's meeting wasn't close: K-State rolled 42-17 in Lawrence, with Johnson accounting for 4 total touchdowns. Kansas still leads the all-time series 64-53, a reminder of just how lopsided this recent stretch has been.
Kansas Jayhawks
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Kansas State Wildcats
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
For Kansas, the season swings on how fast that quarterback battle resolves. BetMGM has the Jayhawks' preseason win total at just 5.5, right on the bowl-eligibility line, and that number likely hinges on whoever wins the job settling in quickly behind Kotelnicki's play-calling. Kansas State, meanwhile, is being talked about as a real Big 12 contender — some projections have the Wildcats finishing 8-4, with national outlets giving them real Big 12 title and playoff value. A first-year staff still has to prove it can hold that talent together, but the ceiling here is a different conversation than the one in Lawrence.
