Kansas State safety Daniel Cobbs defends against Arizona's Ismail Mahdi in KSU's last game. Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Where Kansas State Stands in National College Football Rankings

Originally posted on Kansas State Wildcats on SI
By Chuck Bausman | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 12:08 PM ET

Each Wednesday, we take a look at where seven national polls and rankings place Kansas State’s football team.

K-State not playing this past Saturday actually improved its rankings in four of five polls. The Wildcats were not ranked in two other polls — the AP Top 25 and the US LBM Coaches Poll.

After Week Four, K-State (1-3) ranked 62.2 in an average of five polls. Last week, K-State averaged 61.2. A drop of nine spots in one poll increased the Wildcats’ average rating.

The Wildcats resume play Saturday against UCF (3-0) at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

The polls we will monitor are:

Associated Press
The Athletic
CBS Sports
US LBM Coaches Poll
ESPN’s Football Power Index
ESPN’s SP+ rankings
Massey Ratings

Associated Press Top 25 Poll

The Wildcats again were not ranked by the AP this week. K-State was ranked 17th in the AP’s preseason poll but dropped out of the Top 25 after their Week Zero loss to Iowa State, 24-21, in Dublin. After the loss, K-State was among “others receiving votes,” and landed at 36th with seven votes.

The Athletic

Kansas State is 79th in The Athletic’s ranking of all 136 FBS teams. Last week, K-State was 82nd. In The Athletic’s preseason poll, Kansas State was ranked 21st.

CBS Sports 136 Rankings

The Wildcats are ranked 67th, an improvement from 68th last week.

US LBM Coaches Poll

The Coaches Poll, which had Kansas State at No. 20 in the preseason, does not have the Wildcats ranked, not even in “others receiving votes.”

ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI)

K-State is ranked 49th, up one spot from last week.

Here are FPI’s odds for Kansas State (updated weekly). The Wildcats’ odds decreased in three categories and remained the same in the other three:

22.9 percent chance of winning six games, which would be bowl eligibility (last week it was 23.4)
4.6 projected wins to 7.5 projected losses (last week it was 4.6 projected wins to 7.4 projected losses)
0.2 percent chance of winning the Big 12 championship (last week it was 0.5)
0.1 percent chance of making the College Football Playoff (last week it was 0.3)
0.0 percent chance of making the national championship game (same as last week)
0.0 percent chance of winning the national championship (same as last week)

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ESPN’s SP+ rankings

K-State is ranked 52nd, up from 54th last week.

According to rankings creator Bill Connelly, SP+ ratings are “a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. SP+ is intended to be predictive and forward-facing.

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“It is simply a measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football. If you’re lucky or unimpressive in a win, your rating will probably fall. If you’re strong and unlucky in a loss, it will probably rise.”