Three ESPN Reporters Have High Hopes For Kansas State Football

Bill Connelly, Heather Dinich and David Hale all predict the Wildcats punch their first-ever ticket to the College Football Playoff

Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson (2) scrambles against Rutgers during the second half of the Rate Bowl at Chase Field on Dec. 26, 2024, in Phoenix. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

You can add three more journalists to the list of people who think K-State will be dancing in December. ESPN's Bill Connelly, Heather Dinich, and David Hale all put the Wildcats in their last-minute College Football Playoff predictions.

Connelly has Kansas State just making the cut, earning the No. 12 seed, forcing K-State to travel to Athens, Ga., to take on the Bulldogs in the first round. The winner would get to play Ohio State in the quarterfinals. This draw would have the Wildcats taking on teams with a combined 10 appearances in the CFP and four national championships since the NCAA adopted the playoff format in 2014.

Dinich sees Kansas State earning the No. 11 seed and making the trip to Columbus to take on Ohio State in the first round. Ohio Stadium proved to be a tough place to play in the playoffs last season as Tennessee fell in the opening round 42-17. If Kansas State walked out of Columbus with a win, they would then face No. 3-seeded Texas. This would be Texas' third-straight trip to the CFP, and second year in a row facing a Big 12 foe after going toe-to-toe with Arizona State in the Chik-Fil-A Peach Bowl last season.

Hale predicts the Wildcats earn the No. 10 seed and head to Autzen Stadium to take on Oregon. The Ducks made the playoffs for the first time since their appearance in the inaugural playoff in 2014, earning a first-round bye last season. If Kansas State defeats the Ducks on their home turf, it would play No. 2-seeded Texas.

Kansas State could take a big first step towards a playoff bid if the Wildcats can knock off No. 22 Iowa State in Dublin, Ireland. While winning the Aer Lingus College Football Classic would give K-State a boost, Kansas State coach Chris Klieman reminded players it's just one of 12 games on Kansas State's schedule.

"I keep talking about it and cautioning everybody, this is not a one-game season, this is a 12-game season," Klieman said in his Monday press conference. "This is a really important game for the conference race; it's a really important game for both programs. I've been cautioned about teams that have won and played poorly coming back, and about teams that lost and haven't been able to regroup."

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