ESPN Reveals Reason For Giving Kansas State Favorable CFP Odds

The Kansas State Wildcats once again begin the season with high expectations. They are favorites to win the Big 12 after last year's disappointing 9-4 finish.

ESPN recently gave its odds for teams to make the College Football Playoff. The Wildcats checked in at No. 17. According to ESPN analytics, they have a 22.2 percent chance of making the CFP and .4 percent odds of winning the national title.

Here's what ESPN wrote: "The reality is the Big 12 is once again the most wide-open race in the FBS, but with quarterback Avery Johnson returning for his second season as the starter, expectations are high. According to ESPN's FPI, K-State has a 19.9% chance to win the Big 12, a slight edge over defending champ Arizona State (13%). It's not impossible for the Big 12 to get two playoff teams in, but the most likely scenario for the second team is as the league runner-up in a close loss -- similar to what happened with SMU last year in the ACC."

Johnson are running back Dylan Edwards have the opportunity to become one of the nation's top offensive tandems. They also have a solid receiving unit, led by Jayce Brown and transfers Jaron Tibbs (Purdue) and Jerand Bradley (Boston College).

COACHING STAFF GIVES HIGH GRADES TO WRs

Kansas State needed to bring in some help for Johnson at wide receiver after a relatively mediocre passing game in 2024.

The program did just that. The Wildcats brought in three wide receivers from the transfer portal, including Jerand Bradley and Jaron Tibbs. Offensive coordinator Matt Wells expressed his faith in the two new additions.

"They've got a physical presence to both of them, but they're confident," Wells said via the Topeka-Capital Journal. "They're good route runners, I don't think any coach up here ever says somebody's a great route runner, because we can all improve. They got really good hand-eye coordination, and they've got really good ball skills. There's been very minimal drops."

Wells lauded their pass-catching, but also their ability to block upfront.

"They've been good blockers on the perimeter," Wells said. "Our perimeter blocking has improved overall; there's still growth to go there, but part of that's because of them."

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