Can the Frogs Beat the Manhattan Curse? Our Staff Makes Their Predictions

Our staff makes their picks as the Horned Frogs head to the Little Apple, where they have not won since 2017, for a Saturday afternoon matchup against K-State.

Super Frog welcomes the TCU Horned Frogs onto the field at the beginning of the Colorado game. | Tony Beblowski - KillerFrogs.com for TCU On SI

The TCU Horned Frogs (4-1, 1-1) got a much-needed win over Colorado last week. Now, they travel to the Little Apple (Manhattan, Kansas) to take on the Kansas State Wildcats. The Frogs haven't won in Manhattan since 2017. Can they overcome the curse?

Last week, our staff unanimously chose the Horned Frogs over the Colorado Buffaloes. JD came the closest with his prediction of 34-21. He was just one point off the actual score of 35-21.

This week, most of our staff have picked TCU to win. Only Brett has picked the Wildcats. Interestingly, Brett and JD are at the top of our season leaderboard, and each predicted a score of 31-24. Only JD has the Frogs getting the win, while Brett went K-State.

Our staff predicts a close game, with our average margin of victory just over four points. We also predict a middle-of-the-road total points scored of 53.3.

The Horned Frogs enter the contest with wins over North Carolina, Abilene Christian, SMU, and Colorado. The only loss was that heartbreaking game two weeks ago to Arizona State. Kansas State enters with a 2-4 record. However, their record is one more of bad luck, not a bad team. Their four losses have all been single digits and by a total of 13 points.

How is our staff doing five games into the season with their predictions? Through those games, the only pick against TCU was Andrew's pick in Week One, as he chose the Tar Heels to win. Now, Brett's KSU pick marks only the second pick against TCU. Yet, with his two closest score predictions earlier in the season, Brett remains at the top of the leaderboard. The difference between 13 of us at 4-1 is the number of closest wins and the cumulative point differential.

Staff Leaderboard after Week Six

Place	Name	Wins	Losses	Closest	Cumulative Differential
1	Brett	4	1	2	57
2	JD	4	1	1	83
3	Ryder	4	1	1	110
4	Nick	4	1	0	60
5	Ian	4	1	0	63
6	Davis	4	1	0	70
7	Tori	4	1	0	71
8	Ryann	4	1	0	76
9	Barry	4	1	0	78
10	Zion	4	1	0	86
11	Carson	4	1	0	89
12	Mac	4	1	0	90
13	Nate	4	1	0	124
14	Andrew	3	2	0	83
15	Seth*	0	0	0	0

* Writers who joined the staff after Week One

Staff Predictions - The TCU Horned Frogs versus the Kansas State Wildcats

Oct 4, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes looks on from the sidelines during the second half of a game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Andrew Bauhs (3-2) - TCU 29-27
Barry Lewis (4-1) - TCU 30-27
Brett Gibbons (4-1, two closest predictions)- KSU 31-24
Carson Wersal (4-1) - TCU 26-20
Davis Wilson (4-1) - TCU 27-17
Ian Napetian (4-1) - TCU 31-28
JD Andress (4-1; one closest prediction) - TCU 31-24
Mac Walters (4-1) - TCU 30-22
Nate Cross (4-1) - TCU 38-35
Nick Girimonte (4-1) - TCU 28-27
Ryann Zeller (4-1) - TCU 28-24
Ryder Solberg (4-1, one closest prediction) - TCU 24-17
Seth Dowdle* (0-0) - 30-27
Tori Couch (4-1) - TCU 24-21
Zion Trammell (4-1) - TCU 28-24

*Seth joined our team after the season began.

Do you agree with our picks? Let us know what you think the final score will be.

TCU at Kansas State will be played on Saturday, October 11, at 2:30 p.m. CT at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas, and can be seen on FOX.