Two Big 12 rebuilds collide in Manhattan as Oklahoma State brings its portal-built offense to a Kansas State team still finding its footing under a first-year head coach.
Bush’s Picks
OKSTKSU
OKSTKSU
OverUnder
Best BetKansas State
Kansas State's built-in continuity — a returning starting quarterback in Avery Johnson and a program alum running the show — gives it a real edge over an Oklahoma State roster that's still stitching together 62 transfer additions. Home field in Manhattan only adds to that lean for a Cowboys team that's been one of the worst in the country the past two years.
Oklahoma State
+Mestemaker led nation in passing yards last year
+Morris's system was No. 1 offense in America
+Hawkins scored 27 TDs as a true freshman
−Roster overhaul: 80+ new players, 62 transfers
−Program among worst in country last two years
−Secondary is a major unresolved question mark
Kansas State
+Avery Johnson returns as proven dual-threat QB
+Collin Klein brings program continuity as alum
+Joe Jackson gives K-State a run-game floor
−First-year staff installing new OC/DC schemes
−Finished just 6-6 and skipped a bowl in 2025
−$500K Big 12 fine reflects a messy offseason
This one's a study in contrasts at quarterback. Oklahoma State handed the keys to Drew Mestemaker, who led the country in passing yards (4,379) with 34 touchdowns against just 9 picks in his first year as a starter at North Texas. Kansas State counters with Avery Johnson, a proven dual-threat who threw for 2,385 yards and 18 scores while adding 477 yards and 8 touchdowns on the ground last season before deciding to run it back in Manhattan.
The bigger story is off the field. Eric Morris took over Oklahoma State and brought a full roster reset with him — more than 80 new players, 62 by way of the transfer portal, including nearly 20 former Mean Green pieces. That's the fastest way to raise a ceiling and the fastest way to have zero chemistry in October. Kansas State's turnover is smaller in scale but real in its own way: Collin Klein, a program alum promoted in December after Chris Klieman's retirement, is running his own staff for the first time, with new coordinators on both sides of the ball.
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OKST Oklahoma State
KSU Kansas State
Neither program is walking in with much swagger. Oklahoma State has been among the worst teams in the country over the past two seasons, and national pundits still aren't sold the Cowboys have turned the corner even with Morris's system in tow. Kansas State, meanwhile, finished 6-6 a year ago and actually turned down a bowl bid — a decision that cost the program a $500,000 Big 12 fine — as it managed the coaching change. Both sides have reasons for optimism and reasons for the fan base to squint.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oct 30?@ Iowa State—
Oct 16?@ Houston—
Oct 9?vs UCF—
Sep 25?@ West Virginia—
Sep 19?vs Murray State—
Sep 12?vs Oregon—
Sep 5?@ Tulsa—
Kansas State Wildcats
Oct 30?@ Colorado—
Oct 16?vs Kansas—
Oct 9?vs Houston—
Sep 25?@ Cincinnati—
Sep 19?vs Tulane—
Sep 12?vs Washington State—
Sep 5?vs Nicholls—
Recent form.
Where this gets interesting is scheme versus continuity. Morris's spread attack was the No. 1 offense in America last season at North Texas, and Caleb Hawkins, another transfer running back, scored 27 touchdowns as a true freshman for that team. If that unit travels intact, Oklahoma State can put points on anybody — including a Kansas State defense that's also installing a new system under DC Jordan Peterson. The flip side is Oklahoma State's own defense, particularly the secondary, is described as a genuine question mark heading into the year, which could turn this into the kind of track meet neither program's fans really want to watch on defense.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
(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.
By the time this one kicks off on Friday, November 6, both teams will have several months of tape to define who they actually are. Whichever roster has jelled by then — the transfer-heavy Cowboys or the newly-staffed Wildcats — should have the edge, and this game could easily double as an early gauge of which Big 12 rebuild is further along.
