Kansas State announces kick times and TV slots for first three games

Kansas State non-conference schedule

Kansas State will kick off its 2024 football season in three months. Now the kickoff times and TV designations for the first three games of the season are set in stone.

The Wildcats will start the Avery Johnson era in earnest in a traditional manner, facing an FCS opponent at night. The Saturday, August 31st tilt against UT Martin will start at 6:00 PM and be shown on ESPN+. Since coming to K-State, Chris Klieman is 4-0 against FCS opponents and has outscored them 159-37.

UT Martin went 8-3 in 2023 and won the Big South/OVC Championship at 5-1. The Skyhawks will return their starting quarterback from last season, Kinkead Dent, as well as their nearly 1,500-yard rusher, Sam Franklin. Dent committed to Ole Miss out of high school and spent his first season at UT Martin in 2023.

Following the opening weekend, K-State will hit the road for the second game in a three-game agreement with Tulane. The game will take place on Saturday, September 6th and kick at 11:00 AM. The game is slotted for either ESPN or ESPN 2 to televise.

K-State is 0-2 all-time facing Tulane, including the home loss to the eventual Cotton Bowl champions in 2022. The only other meeting came in 1988 when the Wildcats infamously lost to the Green Wave in the Superdome.

It will be a brand new look for Tulane in 2024. Former head coach Willie Fritz has moved on to be the head coach at Houston, while quarterback Michael Pratt is also gone. Jon Sumrall takes over as head coach in New Orleans. K-State is familiar with both Sumrall and Tulane over the last two seasons, as Sumrall was the head coach of Troy who lost in Manhattan last season by a score of 42-13.

The third and final game of non-conference play has been set in stone for a few days now, as K-State and Arizona, both Big 12 members, will play a non-conference matchup on Friday the 13th at 7:00 PM. The game will be part of FOX’s Friday College Football package.

Arizona also experienced a coaching change over the offseason as Jedd Fisch left for Washington. Brent Brennan will be in his first season as head coach after seven seasons at San Jose State.

2024 Kansas State Football Schedule

8/31 – UT Martin – 6:00 PM ESPN+
9/7 – at Tulane – 11:00 AM ESPN or ESPN 2
9/13 – Arizona – 7:00 PM FOX
9/21 – at BYU – TBD
9/28 – Oklahoma State – TBD
10/12 – at Colorado – TBD
10/19 – at West Virginia – TBD
10/26 – Kansas – TBD
11/2 – at Houston – TBD
11/16 – Arizona State – TBD
11/23 – Cincinnati – TBD
11/30 – at Iowa State – TBD
All TBD games will be decided 12 days before the game, unless chosen for six-day selection.

Other notable Big 12 TV slots and kick times

Week 1

8/29 – North Dakota State at Colorado – 7:00 PM ESPN
8/30 – TCU at Stanford – 9:30 PM ESPN
8/31 – Penn State at West Virginia – 11:00 AM FOX

Week 2

9/6 – BYU at SMU – 6:00 PM ESPN2
9/7 – Arkansas at Oklahoma State – 11:00 AM ABC
9/7 – Pittsburgh at Cincinnati – 11:00 AM ESPN or ESPN2
9/7 – Baylor at Utah – 2:30 PM FOX
9/7 – Iowa State at Iowa – 2:30 PM CBS
9/7 – Kansas at Illinois – 6:00 PM FS1
9/7 – Colorado at Nebraska – 6:30 PM NBC
9/7 – Houston at Oklahoma – 6:45 PM SEC Network

Week 3

9/13 – UNLV at Kansas – 6:00 PM ESPN
9/14 – UCF at TCU – 6:30 PM FOX