Kansas State Predicted To End Season Against Familiar Opponent
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The Kansas State Wildcats open the season against the Iowa State Cyclones Aug. 23 in Dublin, Ireland. Some are also saying the teams will meet at the end of the regular season, too.
They are projected to play each other in the Big 12 championship game according anonymous coaches poll conducted by On3.com.
Wildcats coach Chris Klieman refuses to get caught up in the hype because of the competition in the conference.
"We know top to bottom that this league's really good. So we can't stumble, no one can stumble in this league," Klieman said at the Big 12 Media Day. "You've gotta have your A game every week, and that's what we're trying to preach to our guys. Stay humble, stay hungry, and have that chip on your shoulder. You gotta be ready to go every Saturday afternoon or evening."
Big 12 coaches pick Kansas State & Iowa State to meet in Big 12 title game in a poll conducted by @On3sports. Seven of league’s 16 teams received votes & coaches could not vote for their own teamhttps://t.co/Tgncww9nNn pic.twitter.com/okwny6Gnbp
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 10, 2025
The matchup would feature two of the league's top quarterbacks. K-State led by junior Avery Johnson, who enters his second season as the full-time starter. The Cyclones have Rocco Becht, who some are projecting as a first-day NFL draft pick next spring.
"We would literally be the first team to ever do it, the only team in Iowa State history to win a Big 12 championship," Becht said. "That's on our mind and we want that because we want those expectations. We want to be at that level."
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Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here