Will Avery Johnson's first home start skyrocket Kansas State to a Big 12 Championship season?

The Big 12 feels wide open going into the 2024 season. Without Texas and Oklahoma, the cache for the conference isn't there but there is a lot of teams who could make a run toward the College Football Playoff.

One of those teams is the Kansas State Wildcats. The inaugural winners of the Pop Tart Bowl, head coach Chris Kleiman's Wildcats have reloaded for the 2024 season. How will the come out of the gates with new starting quarterback Avery Johnson?

2024 record: 1-0 (100%)
Career record: 164-154-5 (51.5%)

All odds from DraftKings Sportsbook unless otherwise noted

Tennessee-Martin +36 (-110) vs. Kansas State -36 (-110)

The game is going to be all about the starting debut of Johnson. A four-star recruit who stayed in-state, he takes over for Will Howard, who transferred to Ohio State and is set to start for the Buckeyes.

Johnson flashed in a major way with the Wildcats. They worked him into eight games, including giving him a lot of run in the Pop Tart Bowl. He completed 56.1% of his passes and five touchdowns. Johnson also ran the ball 52 times for 296 yards and seven touchdowns. His dual-threat ability will maximize the rushing attack that the offense is built upon.

That rushing attack will be led by D.J. Giddens, who was a monster as the 1b. to Treshaun Ward last season. Ward has transferred to Boston College and Dylan Edwards has transferred in from Colorado to flank Giddens. The running game is going to be a two-headed monster with Giddens looking to build on his 1,226 yard, 10 touchdown season.

The wide receiver group is an interesting bunch led by Jayce Brown and Penn State transfer Dante Cephas. All they need to do is be a solid complement to the running game and stretch the field. Sophomore tight end Garrett Oakley is set to take over the reins at tight end for Ben Sinnott and has received rave reviews.

The question isn't if they can beat Tennessee-Martin on Saturday night but can they cover the spread? 36 points is a lot but they beat a similar team in SE Missouri 45-0 last season and TCU 41-3. This offense has a chance to be more explosive than last year's team and an FCS opponent is a great starting point for them. The Wildcats should be able to cover the spread here.

Bet : Kansas State -36 (-110)