Kansas State football schedules future nonconference series against former ACC bowl foe

MANHATTAN — There won't be any edible Pop-Tarts mascots involved this time, but Kansas State football and North Carolina State have decided to get together again.

The Wildcats, who beat NC State, 28-19, last December in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, have signed a contract for a home-and-home nonconference series with the Wolfpack starting in 2027.

WRAL News, a Raleigh, North Carolina, television station first reported the scheduled matchup after obtaining a copy of the contract through an open records request. K-State will visit Raleigh in the first installment on Sept. 25, 2027, with the Wolfpack visiting Manhattan to complete the series on Sept. 18, 2032.

Kansas State had a long-term opening when its future home-and-home agreement with Colorado was canceled after the Buffaloes joined the Big 12. In a similar scenario, the Wildcats' non-league series with conference newcomer Arizona was not canceled because there wasn't enough time for the two schools to find replacement games.

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K-State beat Arizona in Manhattan on Sept. 13 and will play the other Wildcats next year in Tucson, with neither of the games counting in the Big 12 standings.

K-State's other nonconference opponents next year, both in Manhattan, are North Dakota and Army. The Wildcats open their 2025 season against Iowa State in Dublin, Ireland.

Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @arnegreen.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State football schedules future nonconference series against former ACC bowl foe