It’s time to continue our college football odds series with a Kansas-Kansas State prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Kansas Kansas State.

The Kansas Jayhawks were ranked at the start of the season. There was a lot of hope and promise attached to this 2024 season for coach Lance Leipold, one of the most highly regarded coaches in the country and a guy other programs considered a candidate for a vacancy. The fact that Kansas was able to keep Leipold was considered a real coup. A good program was expected to improve.

It just didn’t happen. It’s been impossible to avoid noticing how the Jayhawks have failed.

Kansas only has two wins, and it’s not like the Jayhawks haven’t been competitive. They just don’t play well in the most important moments of a game. They give up scores late in games and aren’t able to generate a pass rush when they need a defensive stop. This has been a bad team in the fourth quarter and a team that can’t protect leads. West Virginia, Arizona State, UNLV, Illinois – they all came back to beat KU. The Jayhawks had chances to take control in each of those four games but couldn’t close the door. Leipold must be tearing his hair out wondering how to get his team to finish games and play on schedule. KU always gets close but rarely crosses the line.

Now let’s see what Kansas can do against rival Kansas State, a team that has been consistent in finishing games even when it struggles during parts of the game. It’s not like Kansas State is a dominant team, but the Wildcats rise to the occasion while the Jayhawks fall just short. This sets up a fascinating rivalry game in which Kansas will be intent on finally putting an end to its bad habits, and Kansas State will attempt to put its boot to the throat of its struggling neighbor State of Kansas. Sunflower.

Here are the Kansas-Kansas State College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College football odds: Kansas-Kansas State odds

Kansas: +9.5 (-102)

Financial line: +280

Kansas State: -9.5 (-120)

Financial line: -360

Over: 55.5 (-110)

Minus: 55.5 (-110)

How to watch Kansas vs. Kansas State

Time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT

Television: ESPN2, ESPN Plus

Stream: fuboTV (free trial)

Why Kansas Could Cover the Spread/Win

Kansas has no problem playing close games. The Jayhawks, as we illustrated above, play close and tough games. They don’t lose much. They are there in the fourth quarter with a chance to win. They just don’t finish the job. If Kansas doesn’t finish the job here, they’ll lose a game, but if the Jayhawks are generally competitive, that means they’ll likely cover the spread. The gap is 9.5 points. A normal Kansas game that enters the fourth quarter on air and ends with the Jayhawks losing by four to eight points will result in KU coverage. Losing by eight or nine isn’t what the Jayhawks themselves want, but if it happens, Kansas will be cashing tickets for Jayhawk bettors.

Why Kansas State Could Cover the Spread/Win

The Kansas State Wildcats are going to want to run the sword through a Kansas team that has played with its food all season. This is where you’re going to see the most mature team in this rivalry take charge of the game and not allow Kansas to sniffle in the fourth quarter. KSU is a better, tougher team that benefits from better coaching. The Wildcats would win this game by 17 points.

Kansas-Kansas State Final Prediction and Selection

We’re leaning toward Kansas State, but a rivalry game can get wacky and unpredictable, so we won’t touch this game with a 10-foot pole.

Kansas-Kansas State Final Prediction and Selection: Kansas State -9.5