Kansas State vs. UT-Martin: Staff Predictions for Saturday’s Week 1 Game

Kansas State‘s football season will begin on Saturday night when they welcome FCS opponent UT-Martin to Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

The Wildcats, unsurprisingly, enter the game as heavy favorites. According to DraftKings, K-State is currently favored by 36 points. The Wildcats performed well against the spread last year, finishing with an 8-4-1 record.

K-State’s season opener will kick off at 6 p.m. and air nationally on ESPN+. Here is how the EMAW Online staff thinks K-State will fare against UT-Martin.

UT-Martin has emerged as one of the most stable FCS programs, winning the last three Ohio Valley Conference titles. As a result, K-State isn’t taking UT-Martin lightly and isn’t counting them out from making the game interesting.

While UT-Martin might make this competitive, I’m not betting against K-State, especially with the talent they have. I expect Avery Johnson and DJ Giddens to have strong games on the ground, and K-State should control the game’s pace without much problem.

I don’t think K-State covers because 36 points is a wide margin, but they should have no problems winning this game.

Score: Kansas State 43, UT-Martin 14

I don’t expect the Wildcats to have any problem in their 2024 season opener against the Skyhawks. UT-Martin is a well-respected FCS program but should show no match for K-State. I expect Avery Johnson to shine in his first regular-season start, and the defense to keep UT-Martin in check.

Score: Kansas State 48, UT-Martin 10

This is a very exciting season for Kansas State, with an expanded college football playoff format the odds to make the playoffs have gone way up, and Kansas State is deep in the conversation of teams that could get there from the Big 12.

The Cats will handle business against the Skyhawks this weekend to set the tone for the season. Look out for the rushing attack of Avery Johnson, DJ Giddens, and Dylan Edwards. They should help make this offense two-dimensional with the run and the pass, and make it virtually impossible for UT Martin to stop them.

Score: Kansas State 45, UT-Martin 7

I think the Cats backfield this season will be too much to handle for the Skyhawks this Saturday and there should be some easy scoring drives for this offense as long as they’re in the game. The defense looks really deep this season, more than in previous years in my opinion, but it is football, and big plays will happen.

Score: Kansas State 48, UT Martin 10

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