Voters show respect to Kansas State Wildcats in preseason top 25 football rankings
.jpg "Kansas State Wildcats tight end Will Anciaux (80) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the third quarter at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium.")
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- K-State earns top 20 spots in both AP and USA Today preseason football rankings.
- The Wildcats and the Iowa State Cyclones will meet as ranked teams in Dublin season opener.
- The Kansas Jayhawks and Missouri Tigers also received votes for the top 25
Another week, another preseason ranking for the Kansas State football team.
The Wildcats will enter the 2025 season with high expectations, and a consensus top 20 ranking.
K-State debuted at No. 17 in the first Associated Press college football top 25 poll of the year on Monday, which is voted on by media from across the country. That means that Chris Klieman’s team has earned respect in both of the major polls as it looks to contend for a Big 12 championship and perhaps a playoff berth this season.
The Wildcats also checked in at No. 20 in the first USA Today Coaches Poll of the year when it was unveiled last week.
Texas begins the year at No. 1 in the AP poll, followed by Penn State, Ohio State, Clemson and Georgia.
K-State is the second-highest rated team from the Big 12, behind only No. 11 Arizona State. Other Big 12 teams to crack the top 25 include Iowa State (No. 22) and Texas Tech (23).
Though they failed to crack the top 25, the Missouri Tigers just missed out on a preseason ranking. They are unofficially at No. 32, seven spots out of the top 25. The Kansas Jayhawks did not receive any votes in the AP poll, but they did get a few in the USA Today Coaches poll. KU is unofficially at No. 49 in that ranking.
For K-State, the preseason honor means that the Wildcats have been ranked for at least one week during all seven seasons of the Klieman era. This is also the third straight year in which K-State earned a preseason ranking.
The Wildcats also started out at No. 17 last year.
K-State will begin the upcoming season on Aug. 23 with a rivalry game against Iowa State in Dublin, Ireland. With both the Cyclones and the Wildcats making the preseason top 25, their next Farmageddon game will mark the first time that a pair or ranked teams have played in the Aer Lingus Classic.
This story was originally published August 11, 2025 at 3:43 PM with the headline "Voters show respect to Kansas State Wildcats in preseason top 25 football rankings."