K-State Wildcats vs. OSU Cowboys: Game preview and score prediction for Friday’s clash

The Kansas State football team will try to stay undefeated in Big 12 play when the Wildcats take on Oklahoma State at Boone Pickens Stadium on Friday.

Here’s everything you need to know before kickoff ...

Kansas State at Oklahoma State game details

Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. Friday

Where: Boone Pickens Stadium

TV: ESPN

Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City, KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita

The line: Kansas State by 12 with an O/U of 53.5

Game prediction

Traditional wisdom suggests this game could be much closer than the betting line would indicate.

Mike Gundy, despite an ugly past year on the job, has been by far the most consistent coach in the Big 12 for nearly two decades. He has guided the Cowboys to 17 consecutive winning seasons and his teams are usually very difficult to beat at Boone Pickens Stadium.

Chris Klieman, for example, is 0-2 against Oklahoma State in Stillwater. And neither of those games was particularly close.

With more than a week to prepare for this home game against K-State, it’s not hard to envision a few scenarios in which Gundy and his team throw a scare into the Wildcats.

But that logic ignores one important thing: This might be Gundy’s worst team.

Forget about what Oklahoma State has accomplished over the past two decades. It isn’t doing much of anything well at the moment.

The Cowboys rank 84th or worse nationally in the following statistical categories on offense: total yards (360 per game), passing yards (221.8 per game), rushing yards (121.8 per game), points scored (22 per game) and third-down percentage (36.5).

Believe it or not, things haven’t gone much better on defense, where the Cowboys rank 55th or worse nationally in these categories: yards allowed (384 per game), passing yards allowed (233.8 per game), rushing yards allowed (137.5 per game) and points allowed (23.8 per game).

Oklahoma State opened the season with games against Central Arkansas (3-2), Arizona State (1-4), South Alabama (2-3) and Iowa State (2-3) and only managed a split against that mediocre competition.

The Cowboys have also failed to score more than 27 points in any game this season. Their offense rotates between three quarterbacks. Alan Bowman is expected to start and handle most of of the QB duties on Friday, so maybe that will have a positive impact on this offense.

But K-State has scored at least 27 points in all four of its games this season, with an average of 39.5. I don’t see how Oklahoma State has enough firepower to hang with K-State in this one.

Now, I do expect the Cowboys to come out ready to play. If they throw a few new offensive wrinkles at the Wildcats, they can hit some explosive plays against their secondary in the first half. But K-State will adjust and pull away in the second half even if that happens.

Klieman and the Wildcats will be motivated to win in Stillwater for the first time since 2017. They have too much of an advantage over the Cowboys to let that losing streak continue.

Kansas State 38, Oklahoma State 23

Last week’s prediction: K-State 24, UCF 21 (Actual: K-State 44, UCF 31)

Season record: 3-1.

Season record against the spread: 2-2.

Season record O/U: 3-1.