Skip to main content
kansas-state logo

Ranking Kansas State and Big 12 football schedules

On3 imageby:Drew Galloway•05/30/23•

galloway__drew

On3 image
Kansas State Wildcats Chris Klieman/Getty

RANKING KANSAS STATE AND THE BIG 12’S SCHEDULES

For the first time since 2011, Kansas State and the Big 12 Conference will not be playing a round-robin format in football. The conference also does not have home and away splits anymore to swing the strength of schedule. Now, it has unbalanced schedules.

While we are still a little over three months from kickoff and it is hard know what teams will look like by September, we can still see what the bookmakers think of teams. The over/under win totals do provide a glimpse of the perceived caliber of each squad.

Using those, KSO ranked each team’s league schedule from the easiest one to the hardest one. To make it uniform, the totals released by DraftKings were the barometer.

1.) CINCINNATI

SCHEDULE: vs. Eastern Kentucky, at Pittsburgh, vs Miami (Ohio), vs Oklahoma, at BYU, vs Oklahoma State, vs Baylor, at Oklahoma State, vs UCF, at Houston, at West Virginia, vs Kansas

COMBINED WIN TOTAL: 69.5

Cincinnati has the easiest schedule in the Big 12, in my opinion. The Bearcats play just one of the teams with a win total in the top three (Oklahoma) in the league this year, and it is a home game. That means they avoid both Texas and K-State. Their early game versus Pittsburgh is an intriguing one. We’ll know more about Scott Satterfield’s bunch after week two.

2.) OKLAHOMA STATE

SCHEDULE: vs Central Arkansas, at Arizona State, vs South Alabama, at Iowa State, vs Kansas State, vs Kansas, at West Virginia, vs Cincinnati, vs Oklahoma, at UCF, at Houston vs BYU

COMBINED WIN TOTAL: 69.5

The reason Oklahoma State is the second easiest instead of the easiest is that they still play K-State and the Sooners. Though, like the Bearcats, the Cowboys also get both teams at home. Also like Cincinnati, Oklahoma State plays a Power Five non-conference game in week two. The Cowboys do not play a road game in 2023 against a team projected by the oddsmakers to reach a bowl game.

3.) UCF

SCHEDULE: vs Kent State, at Boise State, vs Villanova, at Kansas State, vs Baylor, at Kansas, at Oklahoma, vs West Virginia, at Cincinnati, vs Oklahoma State, at Texas Tech, vs Houston

COMBINED WIN TOTAL: 71.5

It is a little interesting that two first-year teams have two of the three easiest schedules when using projected win totals. UCF doesn’t exactly have a difficult non-conference slate, either. Kent State’s projected win total is just 2.5, Boise State is at 8.5 and they host an FCS opponent in Villanova.

4.) BAYLOR

SCHEDULE: vs Texas State, vs Utah, vs Long Island, vs Texas, at UCF, vs Texas Tech, at Cincinnati, vs Iowa State vs Houston, at Kansas State, at TCU, vs West Virginia

COMBINED WIN TOTAL: 72.5

Baylor begins the season with five of their first six games at home. However, those contests are not simple. Utah is projected at 8.5 wins, Texas at 9.5 and Texas Tech at 7.5. After a disappointing year in 2022, it is going to be an interesting season for Dave Aranda.

5.) BYU

SCHEDULE: vs Sam Houston State, vs Southern Utah, at Arkansas, at Kansas, vs Cincinnati, at TCU, vs Texas Tech, at Texas, at West Virginia, vs Iowa State, vs Oklahoma, at Oklahoma State

COMBINED WIN TOTAL: 73.5

BYU has a very interesting non-conference game versus Arkansas on the road. The Razorbacks defeated the Cougars in Provo last season. Only having six home games makes it a pretty challenging schedule for BYU in their first season in the Big 12.

6.) TCU

SCHEDULE: vs Colorado, vs Nicholls State, at Houston, vs SMU, vs West Virginia, at Iowa State, vs BYU, at Kansas State, at Texas Tech, vs Texas, vs Baylor, at Oklahoma

COMBINED WIN TOTAL: 73.5

While the numbers from the oddsmakers suggest that TCU possesses a middle-of-the-pack schedule, I would disagree. The Horned Frogs have to play Kansas State, Texas and Oklahoma and two are on the road. TCU does get a bit of a break by playing each of the two teams projected at the bottom of the league in West Virginia and Houston.

7.) OKLAHOMA

SCHEDULE: vs Arkansas State, vs SMU, at Tulsa, at Cincinnati, vs Iowa State, neutral vs Texas, vs UCF, at Kansas, at Oklahoma State, vs West Virginia, at BYU, vs TCU

COMBINED WIN TOTAL: 74

At first glance, I think everyone wondered why Oklahoma’s win total is 9.5 after a lackluster season a year ago. Well, to put it bluntly, their schedule isn’t great. The Sooners could very well be 5-0 before heading to the Cotton Bowl for the Red River Rivalry.

8.) KANSAS

SCHEDULE: vs Missouri State, vs Illinois, at Nevada, vs BYU, at Texas, at Oklahoma State, vs Oklahoma, at Iowa State, vs Texas Tech, vs Kansas State, at Cincinnati

COMBINED WIN TOTAL: 74

Kansas could be better this year and still have a similar or worse record than last season. The Jayhawks play Texas, Oklahoma and the Wildcats, but they do get two at home. The game that seems like it will determine Kansas’ final record is the non-conference contest against Illinois.

9.) KANSAS STATE

SCHEDULE: vs Southeast Missouri State, vs Troy, at Missouri, vs UCF, at Oklahoma State, at Texas Tech, vs TCU, vs Houston, at Texas, vs Baylor, at Kansas, vs Iowa State

COMBINED WIN TOTAL: 76

K-State runs into some bad luck again by playing another dangerous Group of Five team. The conference slate is not bad for Kansas State, though, but they do play some tricky road games at Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Kansas.

10.) WEST VIRGINIA

SCHEDULE: at Penn State, vs Duquesne, vs Pittsburgh, vs Texas Tech, at TCU, at Houston, vs Oklahoma State, at UCF, vs BYU, at Oklahoma, vs Cincinnati, at Baylor

COMBINED WIN TOTAL: 76.5

A tough schedule and a coach on the hot seat does not smell like a recipe for success in Morgantown. West Virginia plays 11 Power Five teams and opens up on the road in Happy Valley. It could be a rough first month for the Mountaineers.

11.) TEXAS TECH

SCHEDULE: at Wyoming, vs Oregon, vs Tarleton State, at West Virginia, vs Houston at Baylor, vs Kansas State, at BYU, vs TCU, at Kansas, vs UCF, at Texas

COMBINED WIN TOTAL: 76.5

Texas Tech might play the weirdest game of any team in the leagues since they play a road game at Wyoming this year. However, the Red Raiders are becoming the media darling of darkhorse contenders to win the conference. It is much like what we saw with K-State exactly a year ago. Joey McGuire and company can make a major statement by defeating Oregon in week two.

12.) HOUSTON

SCHEDULE: vs UTSA, at Rice, vs TCU, vs Sam Houston State, at Texas Tech, vs West Virginia, vs Texas, at Kansas State, at Baylor, vs Cincinnati, vs Oklahoma State, at UCF

COMBINED WIN TOTAL: 79.5

Houston plays a very intriguing game versus UTSA to open the season. The Roadrunners have won the Conference USA two years in a row and are now in the AAC. Dana Holgorsen facing off against his old team in West Virginia will also be must-see television.

13.) IOWA STATE

SCHEDULE: vs Northern Iowa, vs Iowa, at Ohio, vs Oklahoma State, at Oklahoma, vs TCU, at Cincinnati, at Baylor, vs Kansas, at BYU, vs Texas, at Kansas State

COMBINED WIN TOTAL: 81

Iowa State plays a tough non-conference schedule and has to play all of the projected top three in the Big 12. Two of those contests are away from home. We will learn a lot about the Cyclones before September is complete. Facing Iowa for the Cy-Hawk Trophy is always a tough game, and oddly enough, they play on the road versus one of the MAC’s bests in Ohio.

14.) TEXAS

SCHEDULE: vs Rice, at Alabama, vs Wyoming, at Baylor, vs Kansas, neutral vs Oklahoma, at Houston, vs BYU, vs Kansas State, at TCU, at Iowa State, vs Texas Tech

COMBINED WIN TOTAL: 84

Expectations are sky high in Austin this year, again, and Texas plays the toughest schedule in the Big 12. Everyone wants to point to the game versus Alabama, and rightfully so, but I am not. It may sound strange, but how Texas responds to the game against the Crimson Tide, regardless of winning or losing, is more interesting to me. Wyoming is not a bad team and the Longhorns may be asleep at the wheel for at least part of it.

You may also like