you are aware “Farmageddon” is taking place in Ireland this week, Week 0 was designed for you.
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Yeah, college football is back. No. 17 Kansas State takes on No. 22 Iowa State in the season opener at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. on ESPN. It’s a high-stakes opener for the Wildcats – coming off a 9-4 season – and the Cyclones – who made the Big 12 championship game last season and finished 11-3.
It’s a battle between experienced quarterbacks in Avery Johnson and Rocco Becht. There are Big 12 and College Football Playoff implications as a result, and the coaching matchup between Chris Klieman and Matt Campbell should not disappoint.
SN QB RANKINGS: Top 25 | Big Ten | SEC | Big 12 | ACC
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Kansas – another Big 12 hopeful – faces Fresno State in Week 0, and UNLV coach Dan Mullen will make his debut against Idaho State. Sam Houston faces Western Kentucky and Stanford takes on Hawaii.
Each week, we pick every game against the spread for Top 25 teams, but we’ll throw in those other games involving FBS teams as a bonus for Week 0. We finished 144-146 (.497) against the spread and 216-74 (.745) straight up last season. That was down from 2023, when we finished 151-136 (52.6%) against the spread and 224-66 (77.2%) straight up.
Let’s start this season off in style. Here are our Week 0 predictions against the spread.
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MORE: CFP projections | Bowl projections | Composite preseason Top 25
Week 0 picks against the spread
No. 17 Kansas State (-3) vs. No. 22 Iowa State (12 p.m., ESPN)
Iowa State has won four of the last five meetings, including one-score games each of the last two seasons. The Cyclones also were 2-0 ATS as an underdog last season. Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel – a pair of 1,000-yard receivers – are gone for the NFL, so Becht will have to figure out the connection with UCF transfer Xavier Townsend and East Carolina transfer Chase Sowell. The Cyclones will hammer at the Wildcats with running backs Carson Hansen and Abu Sama III early while Becht gets comfortable. Those running backs combined for 139 yards on 4.9 yards per carry in last year’s game. Will Kansas State linebacker Austin Romaine – who had 12 tackles in last year’s game – be able to disrupt that?
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Johnson had three TDs and no interceptions in last year’s matchup – a 29-21 loss – and Jayce Brown had 106 yards and two TDs. Dylan Edwards gets his shot at lead-back duties, and the Wildcats are even with Iowa State from the talent perspective. The difference last year was a pair of fumbles, and the turnover battle is unpredictable in an overseas matchup. The pressure is on Kansas State, but Johnson will extend a few plays with his scrambling, and if the Wildcats can avoid those costly turnovers, they will take the early lead in the Big 12 race. Kansas State was 9-3 S/U as a favorite last year, but they were 3-9 ATS. If this line bumps up more, then there will be value in the Cyclones.