Houston vs. Kansas State Prediction, Odds & Pick
Prediction, odds and the model's read
Our model's read
Scouting report
2026 projection · last season, roster and staff
Where Houston gets at Kansas State: 75th at hitting chunk plays, against a unit 113th at keeping everything in front of them. Kansas State projects no clear way in against Houston.
How
HOUattacks
KSU
- 1
Take shots
hitting chunk plays · projected
HOU#75 of 138KSU#113 of 138
The two teams
Houston
Houston runs it: Willie Fritz's offenses have been heavily run-leaning across 11 seasons. The strengths are on both sides of the ball, led by 10th at keeping everything in front of them. The way in is 112th at running it.
On fourth down he goes for it more often than his peers do from the same spots (+4.5%). Against what the expected-points model recommends he is −14.0% — the profession as a whole is negative on this.
Houston has played 1 game against an average slate, adjusted for here. That football carries about 0% of what is below; the rest is still the preseason projection.
Projected strengths
- Defensehitting chunk plays#10projected
- Offensestaying on schedule through the air#24projected
- Defensesurviving second and twelve#28projected
Projected soft spots
- Offenserunning it#112projected
Kansas State
Kansas State is in year 1 under Collin Klein. The strengths are offensive, led by 11th at hitting chunk plays. The way in is 113th at keeping everything in front of them, and they are 111th at staying out of the backfield.
Kansas State has not played an FBS opponent yet, so this is the projection: last season regressed toward the mean, plus returning production, recruiting, talent and whether the staff is the same one.
Projected strengths
- Offensehitting chunk plays#11projected
- Offenseturning trips inside the 40 into points#30projected
- Offenserunning it#31projected
Projected soft spots
- Defensehitting chunk plays#113projected
- Offensegetting stopped at the line#111projected
Ranks are national. Nothing here is last season's number — carrying one forward is measurably worse than saying nothing — and in-season figures are adjusted for who was actually played. This describes the matchup; it is not a prediction and not a pick.
Head coaches only — there is no free feed for coordinators, so on a program where the head coach does not call the offense this describes the staff he hired. Play-calling identity is a style, not a grade: throwing more than the situations warrant is not better than throwing less than they warrant.
Model prediction
how the number is builtOur model simulates the game drive by drive from each side's opponent-adjusted efficiency (KSU Elo 1681, HOU Elo 1514 for reference), with home-field advantage. That projects KSU +3.9 (40% to win), essentially in line with the market.
Why that percentage is worth reading: across 604 graded in-season games, the calls this model put near 58% came in at 58.2%. The full calibration table is published, bin by bin. Early in the season the cold-start path runs instead and calibrates less well (Brier 0.2028 against 0.1889).
Model as of Sep 1 · through week 1 · drive simulation
Where the game is won
2026 national rank · right is better
offensethe defense it faces
Moving the ball
HOU23rd6thKSUKSU29th90thHOUThrough the air
HOU30th3rdKSUKSU78th136thHOUOn the ground
HOU34th52ndKSUKSU9th4thHOUStaying on the field
HOU26th16thKSUKSU3rd31stHOUTaking care of it
HOU68th53rdKSUKSU95th118thHOU
Each bar runs from last in the country on the left to 1st on the right. The filled span is the gap between the offense and the defense it faces.
Season form — 2026
nationally rankedThe matchup, in context
series history + adjusted profiles| HOU | KSU | |
|---|---|---|
| +7.0 (#43) | CORE overall | +7.4 (#42) |
| +5 / -2 | offense / defense | +4 / -4 |
Bold is the side ahead. CORE strips the situation from every play and solves the schedule out across the league, so these compare two teams that never met.
Key matchups
The analyst read: each team's offense splits crossed against the opponent's defense, with the edges called out.
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FAQ
Who will win Houston vs. Kansas State?
Gridpex's model favors Houston with a 60% win probability.
What's the predicted spread for Houston vs. Kansas State?
The model projects Houston by 3.9.
What time is Houston vs. Kansas State and what channel is it on?
Time TBD, at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Where this number comes from. Every projection on this page is produced by the same model, run before kickoff on opponent-adjusted efficiency, power ratings and situational data — walk-forward validated on eleven seasons and never adjusted after the fact. How the model works →