Farmageddon!

Kansas State (4-3) is in Ames today to take on Iowa State (5-2) in a contest that still has Big 12 title implications, but feels less significant than it did a few weeks ago. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 PM CT, as noted in the HOW TO WATCH post.

This is the 104th consecutive meeting between Kansas State and Iowa State, making this one of the longest uninterrupted series in all of college football. The important factoid here is the all-time record though, currently 49-50-4 in the Cyclones favor. Not only would a win help the Wildcats tie an all-time series against a Big 8 team for the first time ever, the two schools would also tie for total all-time wins. In other words, history could be made today. Sort of.

The Wildcats are coming off a bye week and two straight losses before that. As expected, the team is a big road dog in this game, to the tune of -12. That seems unlikely, though a close game/loss is on the cards. Even our corn-growing farm cousins at WRNL agree!

COVID-19, key injuries, and several players hitting the transfer portal has wreaked havoc on Kansas State’s roster. None of these issues is alone enough to cause worry, but the combination is troubling, and probably not a harbinger of success for the Wildcats for the rest of the season.

There’s been much handwringing over Kansas State’s league-leading 10 players in the transfer portal, but we can probably chalk most of that up to the coronavirus pandemic. But it’s something to keep an eye on as Chris Klieman navigates some tough waters.

So what can we expect from this particular edition of Farmageddon? Well, for one, Iowa State will be wearing some ridiculous all-black uniforms. Please note that black is absolutely not a school color for the Cyclones, but is a school color for Iowa State’s arch rival Iowa. What are you doing, Iowa State? Ugh.

More importantly, Clones running back Breece Hall is good, i.e. Doak Walker Award good, and maybe even deserving of a bit of Heisman hype in this strange season. He currently leads the nation in various statistical categories, including total rushing yards (1,034 yards) and yards per game (147.7). Stopping Hall will be a stiff challenge for the Wildcats’ Covid-hampered defense.

Quarterback Brock Purdy isn’t too bad either. Although not putting up the expected Brocktober numbers, he recently set a school record with his 51st touchdown, and his stat line of 1477 yards with 10 touchdowns and 6 picks is certainly good enough for most FBS teams.

Iowa State has been legitimately awful on special teams in some games this season, so let’s hope that works out in the Wildcats’ favor. Fingers crossed.

For farmers! For wheat! For the all-time record! For the Big 12! Let’s go, Cats! Win the dang day!