Big 12 Game of the Week: No. 14 Kansas State vs. No. 20 Arizona

A Friday night non-conference showdown between two Big 12 teams. That makes sense.

Aug 31, 2024; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats running back Dylan Edwards (3) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter against the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images / Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

One of the best games of the college football weekend will take place on Friday night in Manhattan, Kansas.

No. 20 Arizona and No. 14 Kansas State meet at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in a Top 25 matchup between new Big 12 rivals. Except this will not count as a conference game. This game was already scheduled as part of a home-and-home series before Arizona left the Pac-12 conference and joined the Big 12. However, because neither team could find a replacement opponent, this game will be counted as a non-conference game even though they are both Big 12 teams.

Now with that explanation out of the way, let's get into what makes this matchup so interesting. Both these teams have high expectations for this season and are both 2-0 on the year. Arizona looked great in Week 1, exploding for 61 points but allowing New Mexico to score 39 points. Tetairoa McMillan had ten receptions for 304 yards and four touchdowns for Arizona and ended up saving them from what could have been an embarrassing loss.

In Week 2, Arizona struggled to a 22-10 victory over Northern Arizona while McMillan was held in check with just two catches. They had to overcome a halftime deficit to come back and win what would be their ninth consecutive victory dating back to last season.

Kansas State looked dominant in their 41-6 victory over UT Martin but then only beat Tulane by one score in a 34-27 victory. Starting quarterback Avery Johnson has thrown for 334 yards and four scores through two games. Those are solid numbers, but Kansas State will need a lot from him to keep up with Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita. He has 595 yards and five touchdowns through two games.

This game will teach us more about these teams than their first two matchups have taught us. It should be a good measuring stick for both of them heading into the start of Big 12 play.

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