With the college football season entering the home stretch, the Kansas State Wildcats will try to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive when they host Oklahoma State.
How to watch Oklahoma State vs. Kansas State: Game time, TV/streaming schedule, odds
Can the Wildcats stay unbeaten in the Big 12, or will the Cowboys throw a wrench in their plans?
Richard Rowe-USA TODAY Sports
The Wildcats were ranked ninth in the first College Football Playoff rankings, and control their own destiny in the Big 12 as the last undefeated team in conference. If they win out, they should be able to lock up a spot, especially if the selection committee gives as much credence to conference champions as they’ve intimated so far. KSU enters this matchup with several key players injured, including QB Jake Water, but he is expected to play.
For Oklahoma State, this has the feeling of a season that’s starting to slip away. The offense has struggled of late, and the team has slid out of the rankings after a couple of ugly losses to TCU and West Virginia. Things won’t get any easier for them either, as they’re in the meat of a second half schedule that includes games against five ranked teams.
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN3 (Bob Wischusen/Matt Millen/Quint Kessenich)
Radio: Oklahoma State | Kansas State
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Our blogs on these schools
The numbers
Rankings and records:The Wildcats enter Saturday at 6-1 (4-0 Big 12) and ranked ninth in the College Football Playoff rankings. Oklahoma State is 5-3 (3-2 Big 12), and is unranked. The Cowboys lead the all-time series 37-23, and have won four of the last five meetings.
Vegas: The Wildcats opened as 12.5-point favorites, and that line has more or less held steady, dropping only slightly to -12 at most sportsbooks. The over/under is 52, according to Odds Shark.
Weather forecast: Sunny with a high of 55.
Two things at stake
Kansas State: First place in the Big 12
The Wildcats have the last unblemished conference record in the Big 12, and are thus alone in first place and control their destiny. If they win out they’ll have a strong case to make the College Football Playoff, but the first step in that process is avoiding banana skin games like this one. With a trip to Fort Worth looming next weekend, it would be easy to peek ahead and start thinking about TCU. Oklahoma State may not be a juggernaut, but it would be foolish for Kansas State to put the cart before the horse and think this game is already in their back pocket.
Oklahoma State: Get back on track
As recently as Oct. 18th, the Cowboys were ranked 15th in the country. They may have been slightly overranked, but the past two big losses in consecutive weeks have done a lot to remove them from the national consciousness. They may have dug themselves too deep a hole to get back into the Big 12 title race, but a win over a top 10 team on the road would certainly serve notice that Oklahoma State is still around and not to be trifled with.
One big matchup
Tyler Lockett vs. the Oklahoma State secondary
Lockett's numbers may not look that gaudy (43 receptions for 588 yards and four touchdowns), but when you see him play, he jumps off the screen as the best player on the field. Oklahoma State's defense, especially their secondary, has shown themselves to be rather vulnerable, so expect Jake Waters to look Lockett's way early and often.
Further reading
For more on Oklahoma State, check out Cowboys Ride For Free. For more on Kansas State, head over to Bring On The Cats.
See More:
