Kansas State fans will get an up-close look at two new Big 12 Conference opponents next season, but they won’t have any new travel destinations in 2023.
The Big 12 announced their championship schedule Tuesday afternoon and the Wildcats will face newcomers UCF and Houston at home. But the rest of the schedule, including four games on the road, is all against current conference members.
For those nostalgic for the original Big 12, K-State travels to Columbia to face Missouri in its final non-conference game on Sept. 16. The Tigers visited Manhattan last fall, with the Wildcats dominating, 40-12.
For the first time since the 2016 season opener at Stanford on Friday, the Wildcats will play a weekday regular season game when they face Oklahoma State on Friday, Oct. 6 in Stillwater, following a bye week. Their last weekday conference game was on a Thursday when they hosted Baylor in 2015.
Absent from the 2023 schedule are current Big 12 members Oklahoma — eventually leaving for the SEC along with Texas — and West Virginia, as well as newcomers Cincinnati and BYU. K-State opens the season with non-conference home games against Southeast Missouri on September 2 and Troy on September 9, before heading to Missouri.
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In a rare league move, K-State actually opens the Big 12 at home this fall, hosting UCF on Sept. 23. The Wildcats won the teams’ only previous meeting, 17-10, in Manhattan in 2010.
The first road game of the conference is Friday’s matchup at Oklahoma State followed by a road trip to Lubbock, Texas to face Texas Tech on October 14. and on October 28 against newcomer Houston.
K-State goes to Texas for the last time on November 4, hosts Baylor on November 11 and travels to Lawrence for the Sunflower Showdown with Kansas on November 18 before closing the regular season at home against Iowa State on November 25th.
The Wildcats are coming off a 10-4 season in which they beat TCU, 31-28, in overtime in the Big 12 championship game before falling to Alabama, 45-20, in the Sugar Bowl.
Kansas State Schedule 2023
September 2 — southeast Missouri
September 9 — Troy
September 16 — to Missouri
September 23 — UCF
October 6 — to the state of Oklahoma
October 14 — at Texas Tech
October 21 — TCU extension
October 28 — Houston
November 4 — to Texas
11 November – Baylor
November 18 — to Kansas
November 25 — State of Iowa
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett Network. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
