The toughest road games on K-State's 2024 schedule

Good teams win at home, but great teams manage to find a way to win on the road when the deck is stacked against you. K-State certainly has aspirations of being a great team this season, with hopes of a Big 12 Championship berth and a potential invite to the new 12-team College Football Playoff. If they want those dreams to come true, they must find a way to win on the road.

Below are K-State’s six road games for the 2024 season ranked in descending order by their perceived difficulty. While it’s possible that maybe one of the six games will feature a ranked opponent, there’s still plenty of landmines for the Wildcats to stumble across if they’re not careful.

6. Houston — Nov. 2

K-State’s first trip to the second-year Big 12 member is the least scary of their six road games.

Dana Holgerson flamed out and was fired last season, including a 41-0 thumping in Manhattan. Former Tulane head coach Willie Fritz took over the helm in the offseason in what’s generally considered to be one of the better hires of the last coaching cycle, but he still has a stiff rebuilding project ahead of him.

Eventually, Fritz will have Houston humming at a level where they will be a team to fear in the Big 12, but it may take a few seasons. The Wildcats should be heavy favorites when early November rolls around.

5. Tulane — Sept. 7

The Wildcats are heading back to New Orleans for the first time since playing in the Sugar Bowl in 2022, which was also the last time they faced Tulane.

The Green Wave turned into a monster over the last several seasons thanks mostly to current Houston head coach Willie Fritz. But Tulane is now in the capable hands of former Troy coach John Sumrall, who led the Trojans to back-to-back Sun Belt titles while winning 12 and 11, respectively.

Tulane had its coming out party in a win at K-State two seasons ago and now they have another coach who knows how to win at the mid-major level. Those younger Tulane players who have stuck around will have that extra boost of confidence from 2022 and Sumrall got a first-hand look at K-State when the Trojans came to Manhattan last season. The Wildcats will have the superior talent on the field, but in no way will it be a cakewalk.

4. Colorado — Oct. 12

It’s a midseason family reunion for these two former Big Eight and Big 12 foes who haven’t played each other in 14 years. The Buffaloes got the best of K-State back in 2010, but the Wildcats will be trying to set a new standard versus a Colorado team that comes in with a large amount of hype and press thanks to their star-studded sideline.

Folsom Field can be a very tough place to win when the Buffs are at their best. Elevation aside, Colorado fans were notorious back in the former Big 12 for being some of the most ruthless and vicious home crowds in the league.

If Colorado has some momentum by the time we get to mid-October, then it will be the toughest road trip of the season. However, if Colorado gets off to another rough start like they did last season, things may turn sour quickly for head coach Deion Sanders in his second season. Time will tell.

3. BYU — Sept. 21

This would probably be further down the list, but it’s so early in the season that barring a real disaster in BYU’s non-conference, the 63,000-strong crowd at LaVell Edwards Stadium should be rocking for K-State’s first trip to Provo since 1977.

The Cougars may have been picked 13th in the conference in the media’s preseason poll, but the BYU home crowd has a reputation for being one the best in the country. If BYU manages to knock off SMU on the road in the second week of the year, both teams have a great chance of coming into the game unbeaten their conference openers.

Add the sharp change of elevation (Provo sits more than 4,000 feet above sea level) with what should be a fantastic atmosphere and the Wildcats will have their work cut out for them.

2. W. Virginia — Oct. 19

K-State’s recent history in Morgantown has not been great. The Wildcats managed a shootout win in 2022 but had lost their previous three road games to the Mountaineers.

West Virginia was left for dead last season and became the surprise of 2023, winning nine games including a blowout of North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

The Mountaineers return quarterback Garrett Greene and a host of other standouts from last season. Head coach Neal Brown has not met expectations in his five years at West Virginia, but if it’s able to take another step forward this season, the game in Morgantown may have huge conference title game implications.

1. Iowa St. — Nov. 30

Without question, the lowlight of the 2023 season was K-State’s home loss to Iowa State to close the regular season. The wintery nightmare in which Iowa State scored five 60-plus yard touchdowns leading to a seven-point K-State loss was tough to swallow. Well, the vast majority of those Cyclone players (including quarterback Rocco Becht, running back Abu Sama III and wide receiver Jaylin Noel) are all back for the 2024 campaign.

We’re set up for another regular season-ending Farmageddon this season, and it could have major implications for both the Big 12 Championship game and the brand new 12-team College Football Playoff. The Cyclones were picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 this season, but that doesn’t mean that Iowa State can’t surprise people yet again.

Rivalry aside, it’s tough for anybody to win in Ames. Chris Klieman’s only victory at Jack Trice Stadium at K-State came in 2022, and that was by a narrow one-point margin that required, among others things, the Cyclones’ best wide receiver dropping a pass on 4th-and-7 for a first down that would’ve put them in field goal range.

The trip to Ames won’t be for the faint of heart.