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Times listed in Central. Remaining Big 12 kickoff windows are announced in-season.
Kansas State Football Schedule 2026: Full Wildcats Slate, Dates, and Key Games
Games That Will Decide Kansas State’s Season
| Sept 26 at Cincinnati | Klein’s first Big 12 game is a true road opener — the 22nd time in 31 Big 12 seasons K-State has started league play away from home. It’s also the first trip to Cincinnati since a 23-21 last-second win in 1995. |
| Oct 17 vs Kansas | The Sunflower Showdown at home, with K-State chasing an 18th consecutive win over the Jayhawks. Nothing else on this schedule carries the same local weight. |
| Oct 24 & 31 road trips | Arizona State then Colorado — the only back-to-back road games all season. K-State plays in Tempe for just the sixth time ever and the first since 1989. |
| Nov 28 at Iowa State | Farmageddon closes the regular season in Ames for the third time in the last five trips. K-State is seeking just its second win there in five tries. |
A Wildcat Comes Home
Collin Klein, the former K-State quarterback, takes over as head coach and opens with three straight home non-conference games to settle in.
Arizona, Now a Rival
Senior Day against Arizona is the third straight year the programs have met, but the first as conference opponents — 2024 and 2025 were scheduled non-conference games. The home team won both.
A Halloween Return to Boulder
K-State goes back to Folsom Field after a 31-28 win two years ago. It’s the Wildcats’ 17th Halloween game and their first since 2020.
How the Schedule Sets Up
Nicholls, Washington State, and Tulane at home gives Klein three weeks to install a system before anything counts. The Big 12 opener at Cincinnati is a genuine road test, and then the lone bye arrives on Oct 3. What follows is the heart of the season: Houston and Kansas at home, then the only back-to-back road trips of the year at Arizona State and Colorado. November is balanced — Oklahoma State at home, TCU away, Arizona on Senior Day, and Farmageddon in Ames to close. Seven home games and five of the first six in Manhattan is about as forgiving a first-year setup as a new head coach could ask for. For the postseason picture, here’s how the College Football Playoff works under the 12-team format. Conference scheduling across the NCAA FBS has trended toward deeper league slates.
The Bottom Line
Seven home games, five of the first six in Manhattan, the Sunflower Showdown in October, and Farmageddon to close — Collin Klein’s first Kansas State schedule gives him every chance to start well. Bookmark this page; times, networks, and results are updated throughout the season.