Wk 4 · 2026
Kansas State Wildcats at Cincinnati Bearcats — Sat, Sep 26
Sat, Sep 26 ·
Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
· ESPN2 FINAL
Weather
No forecast yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
at
7:00pET
KSU -6 · total 55.5 DraftKings
Ratings differential KSU by 2.0
What is at stake
A Big 12 game — it counts in the standings that decide that league's championship game. Run the race.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
2.4 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have
changed.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College
King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so
the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a
longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the
good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so
neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats · 2026 per game
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2026 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
Kansas St form
L 16-35vs HOUL 26-31at CINW 31-20vs TULNW 34-7vs WSUW 71-3vs NICH
2026 season
Cincinnati form
L 7-34at ARIZW 31-26vs KSUW 35-31vs M-OHW 62-10vs WCUW 34-15vs BC
2026 season
Kansas St this season
Straight up3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Against the spread2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Over / under3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Cincinnati this season
Straight up4-1 · 80% (5 games)
Against the spread3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Over / under3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 4
| Opponent | Kansas St | Cincinnati |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Big 12 | vs L 16-35 preview | at Wk 10 · scheduled preview |
| Colorado Big 12 | at Wk 9 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 12 · scheduled preview |
| Arizona Big 12 | vs Wk 12 · scheduled preview | at L 7-34 preview |
| Iowa State Big 12 | at Wk 13 · scheduled preview | at Wk 11 · scheduled preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, the series is level at 1–1 · Cincinnati won the last one
2 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
10.5 points toward Kansas St
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-09-26 | Kansas St 26 — 31 Cincinnati | at CIN | Cincinnati |
| 2024 | 2024-11-23 | Cincinnati 15 — 41 Kansas St | at KSU | Kansas St |
Kansas St leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Avery Johnson QB #2 | 88/133, 910 YDS, 7 TD, 2 INT |
| Blake Barnett QB #3 | 4/5, 41 YDS | |
| Rushing | Avery Johnson QB #2 | 30 CAR, 291 YDS, 3 TD |
| Rodney Fields Jr. RB #20 | 49 CAR, 274 YDS, 4 TD | |
| Joe Jackson RB #4 | 37 CAR, 189 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Derrick Salley Jr. WR #15 | 11 REC, 178 YDS, 1 TD |
| Jaron Tibbs WR #12 | 16 REC, 168 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Josh Manning WR #5 | 14 REC, 149 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Garrett Oakley TE #86 | 13 REC, 147 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Gabe Powers LB #35 | 22 |
| Mekhi Mason LB #4 | 17 | |
| Logan Bartley S #10 | 17 | |
| Sacks | Wendell Gregory DE #1 | 2.5 |
| Darien Whitaker Jr. LB #6 | 2.5 | |
| Jayden Bryant DE #40 | 2 |
Cincinnati leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | JC French IV QB #4 | 86/123, 949 YDS, 6 TD |
| Liam O'Brien QB #10 | 5/5, 18 YDS | |
| Rushing | Gi'Bran Payne RB #6 | 62 CAR, 392 YDS, 2 TD |
| Cole Tabb RB #3 | 34 CAR, 330 YDS, 6 TD | |
| JC French IV QB #4 | 50 CAR, 193 YDS, 5 TD | |
| Receiving | JV Gibson WR #11 | 18 REC, 267 YDS, 3 TD |
| Isaiah Johnson WR #0 | 21 REC, 142 YDS | |
| Malachi Henry WR #9 | 6 REC, 138 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Larenzo Fenner WR #2 | 10 REC, 124 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Jonathan Thompson LB #22 | 37 |
| Antwan Peek Jr. LB #3 | 36 | |
| Simeon Coleman LB #31 | 32 | |
| Sacks | Josh Hough DL #95 | 3 |
| Jonathan Thompson LB #22 | 2.5 | |
| Drew Logan EDGE #91 | 1.5 | |
| Interceptions | MJ Cannon DB #2 | 2 |
| Marqavious Saboor LB #5 | 1 | |
| Kenny Worthy CB #8 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster
pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.