The 2025 College Football season kicks off this Saturday in Dublin, Ireland with not only two Big 12 teams, but two programs that enter the year ranked in the preseason AP top 25. Last season, both finished with winning records, with Iowa State edging Kansas State by two games in the regular season, as the Cyclones went 10-2 and reached the Big 12 Championship. The Big 12 again shapes up to be a chaotic and unpredictable race to the title game in Arlington, Texas, so what better way to start the season than with two of the league’s potential top contenders. With both teams well-established in the Big 12, we also have plenty of historical data between them, so let’s take a look at how they’ve fared head-to-head over the years.

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Iowa State vs Kansas State History & Outlook

Iowa State and Kansas State’s current line has Kansas State favored at -3 (-110 per DraftKings) with an over/under of 49.5 (over -108; under -112 per DraftKings). This will mark the 109th meeting between these programs, their first true neutral-site matchup, and the first time squaring off outside the country. Iowa State currently leads the all-time series with 54 wins to Kansas State’s 50 (with 4 ties). Over the last 10 meetings dating back to 2015, the two sides have split evenly at five apiece, with Iowa State taking the last two. Against the spread in that span, Iowa State has covered in seven of the 10, with 2022 ending in a push, and Kansas State covering in 2018 and 2019. The over/under has been perfectly balanced in the last 10 as well, with the average combined score sitting at 53.7 points.

Iowa State is somewhat of an anomaly in modern College Football, maintaining continuity on both sides of the ball aside from two transfers on each unit. The Cyclones return quarterback Rocco Becht, entering his third season as the starter, who showed steady improvement from year one to year two. Kansas State brings a similar degree of retention, though they feature one additional offensive transfer projected to start. Quarterback Avery Johnson enters his second year as the full-time starter and looks to make a leap, as he often appeared tentative in several games last season, particularly early on and in higher-stakes matchups.

Final Thoughts

This game certainly isn’t an easy way for either team to open the season, as it’s a high-stakes conference matchup right out of the gate. All eyes in the College Football world will be on this contest, and from a fan’s perspective, it’s a great way to get things underway. It will be fascinating to see how these teams start, as international games in college football are rare, and it’s not every day you play six time zones away, not to mention dealing with first-game nerves. For both programs, this will be a prime opportunity to showcase themselves on a global stage and officially ring in another college football season.