TCU Gameday!

It’s finally Caturday again, and for the first time in what feels like forever, Kansas State is going into a Big 12 game off a conference win.

Kansas State plays TCU in Manhattan today. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 PM, and the game can be seen on ESPNU. You can also listen in on the game at KStateSports.com.

The win over Texas Tech seems to have restored some confidence in the Wildcats, as even Vegas favors Kansas State. The Horned Frogs as 3.5-point road dogs and the over/under is at 58.5. TCU has been terrible against the spread this season, so the odds seem reasonable this time.

The folks over at Frogs O War are not enjoying themselves right now. For what it’s worth, TCU fans, nobody feels your pain quite like Kansas State fans do. For more from the Horned Frogs perspective, also check out Bring on the PodCats and Luke Thompson’s conversation with FOW managing editor Melissa Triebwasser.

For Kansas State, the key—indeed the one absolute requirement for victory—is to not turn the ball over and make TCU look like an offensive juggernaut in the process. Solid offensive line play, good game management from Skylar Thompson, and of course, Deuce Vaughn just doing his thing should help the Wildcats put away a TCU squad that is surprisingly bad on defense (by their standards).

Speaking of the offensive line, this is the unit that’s hardest to build and develop, but Chris Klieman and his staff are doing a good job and that bodes well for the future. Of course, the program will have to figure out how to replace Skylar Thompson, whose career has been marked by patches of brilliant play but mostly by resilience.

One of the bright spots for Kansas State this year—at least in the locker room—has been Nebraska transfer Kade Warner. Although his impact as a wide receiver has been limited, he’s been both a role model and a beacon for positivity for the rest of the team. And well, having his Super Bowl-winning father Kurt in the stands hasn’t hurt with the fanbase either.

The transfer portal—a veritable revolving door for the program last year—has been mostly quiet this season. But this week, defensive back Aamaris Brown entered the portal after two seasons in Manhattan, where he was part of the regular rotation and got to play in every game this season. As always, speculation is rife, but there’s a possibility everyone saw this coming.

DISRESPEKT! Even though Vegas like the Cats in this game, almost nobody else does. The crew at CFN thinks TCU will get the one stop it needs late in the game (but confusingly also predicts Kansas State will score more points). Athlon picks the Wildcats, but also seems somewhat reluctant to do it, and finally, the Yahoo Sports team straight up hates Kansas State in this one.

I don’t offer predictions in the Slate. May the best purple team win. Win the dang stone. Or something.