No. 22 Houston vs Kansas State: How to Watch, Odds, Injuries and More
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The No. 22 Houston Cougars will be taking on the Kansas State Wildcats in a key Big 12 road matchup on Saturday afternoon. This is Houston's third road game of the season and the second road conference game so far.
The Cougars enter with a 4-1 record and a 27-17 comeback win over UCF in their Big 12 home opener last Saturday. Houston scored 27 unanswered points on its way to the victory. Although K-State isn't ranked, this will still be a challenging road environment to overcome in Manhattan, Kansas.
How to Watch Houston vs Kansas State
• Who: Houston Cougars 4-1 (1-1 in Big 12) vs. Kansas State Wildcats 3-1 (0-1 in Big 12)
• What: Week 6 of the regular season
• When: Saturday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. CT
• Where: Bill Snyder Stadium, Manhattan, Kansas
• TV/Streaming: FOX
• TV Announcers: Tim Brando (Play-by-Play), Devin Gardner (Analyst), Josh Sims (Sideline)
• Radio: KPRC 950 AM, The Varsity Network- “Search Houston”, SiriusXM: 138 or 199, and on the SiriusXM App
• Radio Announcers: Kevin Eschenfelder (play-by-play), Ted Pardee (color), and Jeremy Branham (sideline reporter)
• Last Season: Houston went 10-3 and beat LSU in the Texas Bowl for its first 10-plus-win season since 2021.
• Series History: This is just the third all-time meeting between these programs. The series is currently tied 1-1, with the last matchup coming in Houston in 2024, where the Cougars upset No. 17 Kansas State 24-19. Houston has only played in Manhattan once, back in 2023. It was a 41-0 loss and ended a 23-season streak of not being shut out for Houston.
Meet the Coaches
Collin Klein, Kansas State: The 37-year-old is one of the youngest coaches in the conference and is in his first yeas as the head coach of his alma mater. Klein was one of the greatest players in K-State football history as a quarterback from 2008-12 and won the 2012 Johnny Unitas Award. This is his 13th year of coaching overall with 10 of them with Kansas State. He was previously the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Texas A&M from 2024-25.
Wilie Fritz, Houston: This is Fritz's third season with the Cougars, and he has a 18-12 record heading into this game. Fritz has 34 years of coaching experience and a 265-133-1 record overall. He was hired in Dec. 2023 from Tulane and has turned Houston into a Big 12 contender this year. Fritz led Houston to the largest single-season turnaround in the country last year from four to 10 wins. Fritz has the most head-coaching experience in the Big 12 and the second-most wins in college football by an active head coach.
Matchup Odds
Spread: Kansas State -2.5, (-110), Houston +2.5 (-110)
Over/Under: 55.5 (O -102, U -118)
Houston Injury Report
Starting senior linebacker Jaden Yates will be out this week with a leg injury that he suffered against UCF. That's a big blow to Houston's defense, which has struggled at times. It'll be without its leading tackler on Saturday. Besides that, sophomore receiver Muizz Tounkara will still not be able to make his debut since his leg injury at the start of camp. Backup tackle RJ Lee is also out, which wraps up all the notable injuries.
What to Know About Kansas State
The Wildcats are coming off a 31-26 loss at Cincinnati, but have one of the toughest home-field advantages in the conference at home. K-State hasn't lost at home yet in three games. Senior quarterback Avery Johnson leads the Wildcats on offense with his elite, dual-threat nature.
His speed as a runner can be difficult to deal with, and he's also a capable passer. K-State's rushing attack is strong. The Wildcats are young up front on both sides of the trenches and also have some inexperience in the secondary as well. Houston's defense will have a challenge this week.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.