Kansas State vs. Kansas 2023 College Football Week 12 Odds, Preview & Pick

By Hank Blaine • November 14, 2023

The Sunflower Showdown between No. 23 Kansas State and newly unranked Kansas on Saturday means a bit more this year because it’s so rare that both college football programs are good at the same time. K-State still has a shot to play in the Big 12 title game as well and is a surprisingly heavy road favorite as it has dominated the series since about 2009.

Kansas State Wildcats vs. Kansas Jayhawks Game Information

Still runnin' pic.twitter.com/PHziAjzXfY
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) November 13, 2023

When: Saturday, November 18, 2023, 7:00 PM ET
Where: David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, KS
TV: FS1
Radio: Manhattan KMKF 101.5 FM (Kansas State) // KLWN 1320 (Kansas)
Live Stream: FOX Sports
College Football Odds: Kansas State (-8) // Kansas (+8)

Why Bet on the Kansas State Wildcats?

Kansas State is tied with Iowa State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State for second in the Big 12 behind first-place Texas. The Cats lost a wild OT game at Texas two weeks ago but bounced back Saturday with a 59-25 blowout of Baylor. On a record-setting day for quarterback Will Howard, the Wildcats amassed at least 50 points for the first time in three years while reaching their biggest scoring total in series history against a Bears squad that suffered their worst loss of the season. K-State jumped out to a 35-7 lead and kept going. It has outscored its opponents 272-72 in Manhattan this season.

Howard threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns, setting the all-time record for passing touchdowns in the second quarter with his third scoring toss of the game. The two-yard scoring strike to Christian Moore with 13 minutes, 7 seconds left until halftime, gave Howard 45 career touchdown passes, passing Josh Freeman for the all-time mark. Howard has thrown 12 touchdowns and one interception in the last four games. He went 19-of-29 passing and connected with nine different pass catchers. Six different players scored a total of six offensive touchdowns for the Wildcats, who also had two defensive touchdowns — a 15-yard fumble recovery by linebacker Desmond Purnell and a 45-yard interception return by Keenan Garber — while also forcing four turnovers on downs.

Running back DJ Giddens rushed 18 times for 115 yards and now has 859 rushing yards this year to rank fifth in school history by a sophomore, passing Alex Barnes (819 yards in 2017). It was Giddens’ third 100-yard rushing game this season and first since going for 207 yards against UCF. Giddens also recorded an 18-yard receiving touchdown to open the game’s scoring, his second touchdown catch of the year. Tight end Ben Sinnott, who will compete in the 2024 Senior Bowl, came away with three receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown. He now has 35 receptions for 501 yards and four touchdowns this year as he ranks third in school history in receiving yards by a tight end, fourth in receptions and tied for second in touchdowns.

Dating back to last season, Kansas State has now scored 40 or more points in seven-straight home games. It is the longest streak since doing so in 12-straight home games over the 1998 and 1999 seasons. Since the beginning of the 2021 season, K-State is now 22-2 when scoring the game’s first points.

The Cats are one of seven Power 5 teams to rank in the top 25 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense. They enter play this week ranked 12th by scoring 38.8 points per game. Since Collin Klein took over as offensive coordinator for the 2021 Texas Bowl, K-State is averaging 35.3 points per game, which includes hitting the 40-point mark in six games this season. K-State’s ground game has led the way as it checks in at No. 14 in the country with 202.1 rushing yards per game. Over the last three weeks, K-State has outscored its opponents, 171-61, and has won the turnover battle with a plus-10 margin thanks to eight interceptions.

Why Bet on the Kansas Jayhawks?

Kansas was upset at home by Texas Tech on Saturday, 16-13, to see its Big 12 title hopes likely die. Kansas trailed 13-0 entering the fourth quarter and came back to tie it up at 13-13 with 0:26 remaining in the game. However, Texas Tech drove 63 yards in four plays to set up Gino Garcia for a game-winning 30-yard field goal.

The Jayhawks struggled offensively after losing quarterback Jason Bean in the first half to injury. KU running back Devin Neal finished with 137 yards and a touchdown to mark his fourth 100-yard game of the season and the 10th of his career. Neal has now tallied 2,762 yards in his career, which passes John Riggins, Gale Sayers and Clark Green for fifth on the all-time list. Head coach Lance Leipold indicated Monday that Bean (head) is expected to play in Saturday’s game against Kansas State. No. 1 starting QB Jalon Daniels has missed several games due to injury.

Kansas is tied for the nation’s lead in defensive touchdowns, as the Jayhawks have reached the end zone four times this season on defense, including three interception returns for a touchdown and one fumble return for a touchdown. Over the last three games, junior Mello Dotson has returned interceptions for touchdowns, including a 37-yard interception return against Oklahoma on Oct. 28 and a 50-yard interception return against Iowa State on Nov. 4.

Kansas enters the Sunflower Showdown with a 7-3 overall record, marking Kansas’ first winning season since 2008. Kansas’ seven wins in its first 10 games are the most in a season since 2007, when Kansas started 10-0. The matchup between the Jayhawks and the Wildcats will be the 121st in the series history, in what is the ninth longest played rivalry game in FBS football. The series has been played every year since 1911, making it the fourth-longest active series in FBS and the second-longest in-state rivalry.

Kansas leads the all-time series at 65-50-5, including a 37-22-2 record in games played in Lawrence. However, Kansas State has won the past 14 overall.

Kansas State vs. Kansas Betting Trends

Kansas State is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games.
Wildcats are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games.
The total went over in 6 of Kansas State’s last 9 games.
Kansas is ATS in their last 5 games played in November.
Jayhawks are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games.
The total went under in 4 of Kansas’ last 6 games against Kansas State.

Oklahoma State vs. Houston Expert Betting Predictions

Kansas State 34, Kansas 27.

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