Dec 26, 2024; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Kansas State Wildcats head coach Chris Klieman prior to the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the Rate Bowl at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Kansas State's Chris Klieman Stands Firm On Big 12 Competition

Originally posted on Kansas State Wildcats on SI
By Jayden Armant | Last updated Jul 23, 2025 4:55 PM ET

The Big 12 is projected to be one of the most competitive conferences next season. Even with Kansas State gracing the top spot in many preseason predictions, there are still teams like Arizona State, Texas Tech, and Baylor that can make noise and leap to conference contention as well.

And it's for that reason that Kansas State coach Chris Klieman is not taking the competition lightly at all. Klieman, a six-year veteran in the conference, has seen his fair share of what the Big 12 has to offer.

“You love the competition, you love the challenge of it," Klieman said in his Big 12 Media Days interview with Sports Illustrated. "But you have to have your A-game or you’re just gonna get beat. It doesn’t matter what the standings are. Nobody really cares, because you know if a team is 1-6, they’re gonna be just as competitive if they were 7-1.”

The Wildcats are heavy favorites to clinch the Big 12 and make the playoffs in 2025, largely contingent on the success of junior quarterback Avery Johnson. Johnson had a decent sophomore campaign, but must do better if he wants to reach the upper echelon of college signal-callers and achieve his postseason goals.

“We know top to bottom that this league's really good. So we can't stumble, no one can stumble in this league," Chris Klieman said in an earlier Media Day interview. "You've gotta have your A game every week, and that's what we're trying to preach to our guys.