Pop-Tarts Bowl point spread: Picking NC State Wolfpack vs. Kansas State Wildcats

We should have a crazy good and delicious matchup today in the Pop-Tarts Bowl between No. 18 NC State and No. 25 Kansas State.

Now, ahead of one of four bowl games on Thursday, On3’s Andy Staples and Ralph Russo of the Associated Press have shared their thoughts on the Wolfpack vs. the Wildcats.

How to watch NC State vs. Kansas State

Time: 5:45 p.m. ET on December 28th
Channel: ESPN or ESPN+, FuboTV (streaming)
Location: Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)

Russo joined on to make some game picks during a segment of Wednesday’s episode of ‘Andy Staples On3’. They started with the notable opt-outs in the game while also noting the impact of quarterback change on K-State’s chances.

“Payton Wilson, NC State’s best player, is not playing. He’s a linebacker, he’s going to the draft,” explained Staples. “Will Howard? Not playing for Kansas State. Also, Ben Sinnott, their fullback/tight end/h-back kind of thing, is not playing. Kobe Savage, the safety, is not playing.”

“Now, their entire offensive line is playing and this is Avery Johnson Day. The five-star, the freshman, the hope of the future will be starting for Kansas State – the beginning of the Avery Johnson era, if you will.”

Johnson, the former Top-10 QB prospect, is now the starter for them as the program transitions on from Howard. As the backup, he went 23-35 (65.7%) overall for 301 yards and three touchdowns. He also, as a producer on the ground, got 45 carries for 225 yards and six more scores.

That’s some potential that the Wildcats are looking to tap into in Orlando today. It’s also why, with his pick, Russo went with them and their 2.5-point spread on top of being a quality team and program.

“I’ll take that part of it. I’ll go with Avery Johnson, a five-star quarterback. They unleashed him a bit during the season, showed, ‘Hey! Look at what we have here! This is a weapon,'” said Russo. “He wasn’t fully weaponized but now they’re all in. That’s why Will Howard is in the portal. So, yeah, I’ll grab Kansas State here against a North Carolina State team that is very good defensively but was sort of limited offensively all season.”

“Listen, I also think that Kansas State is a stable program,” Russo said. “I like Kansas State in this. I want to see what Avery Johnson looks like.”

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Staples closed by agreeing with Russo’s selection of K-State. All that considered on top of a key stat against the spread made it a sweep for the Wildcats in the first-ever Pop-Tarts Bowl.

“I also will take K-State,” said Staples. “Here’s a gambling stat for you – Kansas State is 7-0 against the spread in the last seven games after a straight-up loss. They did lose in that snowy farmageddon to Iowa State.”