2025 Kansas State Football Predictions: Wildcats Ranked 19th in RJ Young's Ultimate 136
Published
Aug. 10, 2025 8:09 p.m. ET
share
x
link
This isn't your average college football ranking.
My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it's my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:
Who do I think is good?
Why do I think they're good?
What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?
Here is a look at where Kansas State lands in my Ultimate 136.
Kansas State ranking: 19
Last year's ranking: 18
Top player: QB Avery Johnson: Threw for a school-record 25 TDs last season while also rushing for 605 yards and 7 TDs; led Kansas State to a school-record 6.57 yards per play last season, as well as the fourth-highest yards per game average in school history (426.8).
[Kansas State's 2025 schedule]
RJ's take: In his first season as a starter, quarterback Avery Johnson set the program record for passing touchdowns (25) while throwing for 2,712 yards, and adding 605 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. He was one of just four Power 4 quarterbacks to pass for 2,700 yards and rush for 600 yards last year.
ADVERTISEMENT
In Year 2, he and running back Dylan Edwards will make up perhaps the fastest backfield in the sport as they make an attempt to earn the program's first appearance in the CFP.
Along with Johnson and Edwards, nine starters return from last year's team, including five on the defense.
K-State has won nine games or more in each of the last three years, and won the Big 12 title in 2022. And, in Year 7, Chris Klieman has kept expectations high with this year looking like his best chance to earn K-State's first CFP invitation. The problem is that going 9-4 last year yielded a tie for eighth in the Big 12.
This year, the schedule features absolutely no team that should outclass K-State.
[Check out RJ Young's Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here]
Kansas State Win Total: Over 8.5 (-110) Under 8.5 (-110)
Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school's rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young , and I'll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.
FOLLOW
Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience
College Football
Kansas State Wildcats
share
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
No. 3 Ohio State still doing some shuffling along the offensive line ahead of opener vs. No. 1 Texas
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State coach Ryan Day says there's still some shuffling along the Buckeyes' offensive line ahead of their Aug. 30 season-opener. Some of that the coaches credited to a new emphasis this preseason: players learning primary and secondary positions. But as the third-ranked Buckeyes get closer to their matchup with top-ranked Texas, Day is hoping to lock in his frontline sooner rather than later. 'It's important as we get closer to this first game for guys to really dig in and get the majority of the snaps at where they're going to play,' Day said this week. Austin Siereveld, a third-year sophomore who entered preseason as the presumed starter at right tackle, has been working at left tackle over the past week. That's because Phillip Daniels, who transferred in January after two years at Minnesota, is in the running to start on the right side. Rice transfer Ethan Onianwa is the potential backup at either spot. He is also getting a look at guard, where Tegra Tshabola and Luke Montgomery finished last season as starters flanking Carson Hinzman at center. 'We'll see," Day said. "By the end of this week, we'll have more and more snaps, more and more information, and go from there.' Onianwa started 25 games at right tackle and nine at left tackle for Rice. 'I feel like it's kind of important for all the O-linemen to have experience in these positions because you never know how the season's going to progress, and that's just been kind of like the plan,' Onianwa said Tuesday. 'I've been playing guard, I've been playing tackle on both sides, and it's just a learning experience, and I'm enjoying every second of it.' Daniels redshirted in 2023 and played in 12 games last season for the Golden Gophers. If outsiders were surprised at his ascension, he indicated he is not. 'I know the plays now, so everything's just clicking,' Daniels said. 'Once I know the plays, I feel like I can kill anybody.' Offensive line coach Tyler Bowen, who is in his first season in Columbus after spending three at Virginia Tech, downplayed the significance of the movement to a certain degree, but he confirmed the staff is putting an emphasis on learning multiple positions. 'It's something we believe in, and that's a good example of it,' Bowen said of Siereveld's moving around. 'He's bounced to tackle. He's played guard. I think what you see up front, we do that a lot. Nothing's set in stone. We have a lot of versatility. We have some depth, but we've got to be able to perform at a high level on the spot we settle into, and that's what we've got to figure out this week. And we've got to figure it out fast.' While the starting lineup is still being determined, Day said he is happy about the depth up front with redshirt freshmen Gabe Van Sickle and Ian Moore making progress this month. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Oklahoma QB John Mateer embroiled in ‘sports gambling' controversy
Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards for more information. Oklahoma starting quarterback John Mateer is in some hot water. The redshirt junior has found himself embroiled in controversy after social media sleuths tracked down his Venmo payments account, where he made some questionable comments on transactions. Mateer is alleged to have sent money on Nov. 20, 2022, for 'sports gambling (UCLA vs USC)' and another 'sports gambling' transaction to the same person. John Mateer during hsi time with Washington State. Getty Images He denied any wrongdoing in a statement Tuesday. 'The allegations that I once participated in sports gambling are false,' Mateer wrote on X. 'My previous Venmo descriptions did not accurately portray the transactions in question but were instead inside jokes between me and my friends. I have never bet on sports. I understand the seriousness of the matter, but recognize that, taken out of context, those Venmo descriptions suggest otherwise. I can assure my teammates, coaches, and officials at the NCAA that I have not engaged in any sports gambling.' College athletes are not allowed to bet on college sports in any capacity, per NCAA rules, which would make any alleged wager a violation with potential serious consequences. The alleged game in question happened Nov. 19, 2022, where Caleb Williams and the Trojans won, 48-45, to claim the Victory Bell. Mateer allegedly then paid Richard Roaten an undisclosed amount the following day with the game reference in the caption, along with another unspecified payment that did not list a game. The incoming senior was a freshman at Washington State at the time, where he appeared in just one game that season, going 2-2 with a touchdown. Betting on College Football? He transferred to Oklahoma for this season and is the Sooners' projected starter. Oklahoma officials told ESPN they were aware of Mateer's Venmo activity, although no investigation had been mentioned. The No. 18 Sooners begin the season at home against Illinois State, before battling Michigan on Sept. 6. Why Trust New York Post Betting Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he's showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.
Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
No. 3 Ohio State still doing some shuffling along the offensive line ahead of opener vs. No. 1 Texas
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State coach Ryan Day says there's still some shuffling along the Buckeyes' offensive line ahead of their Aug. 30 season-opener. Some of that the coaches credited to a new emphasis this preseason: players learning primary and secondary positions. But as the third-ranked Buckeyes get closer to their matchup with top-ranked Texas, Day is hoping to lock in his frontline sooner rather than later. 'It's important as we get closer to this first game for guys to really dig in and get the majority of the snaps at where they're going to play,' Day said this week. Austin Siereveld, a third-year sophomore who entered preseason as the presumed starter at right tackle, has been working at left tackle over the past week. That's because Phillip Daniels, who transferred in January after two years at Minnesota, is in the running to start on the right side. Rice transfer Ethan Onianwa is the potential backup at either spot. He is also getting a look at guard, where Tegra Tshabola and Luke Montgomery finished last season as starters flanking Carson Hinzman at center. 'We'll see,' Day said. 'By the end of this week, we'll have more and more snaps, more and more information, and go from there.' Onianwa started 25 games at right tackle and nine at left tackle for Rice. 'I feel like it's kind of important for all the O-linemen to have experience in these positions because you never know how the season's going to progress, and that's just been kind of like the plan,' Onianwa said Tuesday. 'I've been playing guard, I've been playing tackle on both sides, and it's just a learning experience, and I'm enjoying every second of it.' Daniels redshirted in 2023 and played in 12 games last season for the Golden Gophers. If outsiders were surprised at his ascension, he indicated he is not. 'I know the plays now, so everything's just clicking,' Daniels said. 'Once I know the plays, I feel like I can kill anybody.' Offensive line coach Tyler Bowen, who is in his first season in Columbus after spending three at Virginia Tech, downplayed the significance of the movement to a certain degree, but he confirmed the staff is putting an emphasis on learning multiple positions. 'It's something we believe in, and that's a good example of it,' Bowen said of Siereveld's moving around. 'He's bounced to tackle. He's played guard. I think what you see up front, we do that a lot. Nothing's set in stone. We have a lot of versatility. We have some depth, but we've got to be able to perform at a high level on the spot we settle into, and that's what we've got to figure out this week. And we've got to figure it out fast.' While the starting lineup is still being determined, Day said he is happy about the depth up front with redshirt freshmen Gabe Van Sickle and Ian Moore making progress this month. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and
