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Can you feel it? We’re just hours away from getting the K-State #family together for another season of Wildcat football!
The Game
The Kansas State Wildcats (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) start the 2018 season today at home against the South Dakota Coyotes (0-0, 0-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference). Both teams enter the game receiving votes in the polls, K-State in FBS, South Dakota in FCS.
Previously
The Wildcats finished the 2017 season with a Cactus Bowl victory over, and the Yotes lost to Sam Houston State in the second round of the FCS playoffs, both finishing with 8-5 records.
K-State has a 4-0 advantage in the series, all in Manhattan, with the latest clash coming in a 34-0 Wildcat victory in 2015. The Wildcats and Coyotes played in three consecutive years from 1980 to 1982, with K-State winning all three contests by a combined score of 97-16. Over those three years, K-State went 9-21-1 against all teams not named South Dakota, but the win in 1982 helped K-State get to its first ever bowl game, a Dec. 11 Independence Bowl loss to Wisconsin.
Kickoff
The game is scheduled to kick off at 6:10 p.m. at Bill Snyder Family Stadium (official capacity 50,000) in beautiful Manhattan, Kansas.
Odds
A check of several different oddsmakers turned up none offering odds on the game, which is normal for FBS vs. FCS games.
Tickets
As of Friday afternoon, a limited number of tickets were available in the upper deck on the east side of the stadium, while tickets were available on StubHub starting at $23.
Video
The game can be seen on ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN app, with Brian Smoller and Travis Tannahill calling the game.
Audio
You can listen to the game on terrestrial radio on any of the 39 stations in the Kansas State Sports Network, on Sirius channel 126, XM channel 201, or on the TuneIn app, with Wyatt Thompson, Stan Weber, and Matt Wolters covering the game.
My Prediction
A respectable FCS opponent, an unresolved quarterback situation, and remaining question marks in all three phases of the game will combine to make this game competitive, but depth at running back led by junior Alex Barnes, an experienced and cohesive offensive line, and a few big plays from receivers Isaiah Zuber and Dalton Schoen will be enough to carry the Wildcats to victory. K-State wins, 34-20.