As part of today’s loaded Week 1 college football slate, the Nicholls State Colonels will challenge the Kansas State Wildcats. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.
Looking at the odds, Kansas State enters as monstrous 41.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the game total set at 54.5 points.
This article previews both teams and offers a pick for the Week 1 matchup.
Nicholls State vs. Kansas State Preview
Nicholls State Colonels
Nicholls State got their season started during a Thursday Night matchup in Week 0. They picked up a 44-10 win over Mississippi Valley State. Nicholls State scored 44 unanswered points to start the game before Mississippi Valley State put up 10 late points while plenty of the starters were already resting. The Colonels put up a whopping 515 total yards of offense and limited their opponent to just 79 passing yards. Nicholls State will look to carry this momentum against much stiffer competition today. While you would prefer to price a blowout win over any other result, there shouldn’t be too much stock put in this performance just yet. The Colonels defeated Mississippi Valley State 66-0 in 2024 but still finished with a 4-8 record.
The program will look to improve after back-to-back 4-8 seasons under the guidance of Tommy Rybacki in his second season as head coach. Rybacki served as the program’s defensive coordinator from 2015-2024 before getting the promotion. Senior quarterback Ean Rodrigue returns as the starter after appearing in nine games last year. He kicked off the season by completing 16 of his 25 pass attempts for 264 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and an interception, while adding 29 rushing yards. Nicholls State has a balanced collection of players at the skill positions around Rodrigue. Tamaj Hoffman rushed for 53 yards and two scores in the opener, while Shane Lee and Chase Richardson will also be involved. Greg Donaldson tallied 100 receiving yards and a touchdown, while Jordan Smith added 80 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the opener. Christian White, Ellis Stewart, and Karaaz Johnson also play key roles.
Defense has been more of a strong suit for the Colonels in recent years, which is partially what paved the path for Rybacki to receive the head coaching opportunity. Nicholls State ranked 15th in the FCS last season in pass efficiency, and the secondary will be a major strength this year. There has been more turnover up front, with last season’s top six tacklers each gone, but three players who registered 200 or more snaps remain in place. The defensive unit looked to be clicking on all cylinders in the opener, but Kansas State will provide a much more legitimate challenge in today’s game.
Kansas State Wildcats
2026 will mark the start of the Collin Klein era for Kansas State. Klein knows the program from all angels, after serving as their starting quarterback in 2011 and 2012, and most recently served as a key assistant up until 2024, when he took over the Texas A&M offensive coordinator opportunity. Klein does not have any head coaching experience, but the program was forced to act quickly when former head coach Chris Kleiman stepped down, citing health issues as a major reason.
As part of the new coaching staff, Sean Gleeson has been named offensive coordinator after last serving as the Missouri quarterbacks coach. There is plenty of talent on this Kansas State roster, but consistency has been a major problem for the Wildcats. This starts right at the top with the outlook of quarterback Avery Johnson. The senior has a tantalizing physical skillset and Heisman Trophy ceiling if it all clicks. But there are some head scratching decisions and overall erratic play that have limited him from reaching his peak. The Kansas State offense will largely go as Johnson can take them, but he will be aided by returning running back Joe Jackson after 911 rushing yards and eight scores last year as well as Oklahoma State transfer Rodney Fields in the backfield. Missouri transfer Joshua Manning will play a major role at wide receiver, as will Texas A&M transfer Izaiah Williams. Jaron Tibbs is the top returner for the Wildcats, after he tallied 47 catches for nearly 600 yards last year.
Jordan Peterson followed Klein over the Kansas State from Texas A&M and will take on the challenge of the defensive coordinator role. The Wildcats attacked the transfer portal aggressively, and the unit will be headlined by Oklahoma State transfer Wendell Gregory and Kennesaw State transfer Elijah Hill. Production at the cornerback spots is expected to be strong, and the program did an excellent job forcing turnovers last year. There were plenty of moving parts on the roster overall, but on paper Kansas State did an excellent job of maintaining a high standard of talent.
Nicholls State vs. Kansas State Pick
There is fair reason for optimism for this Kansas State program, but there are plenty of moving parts leading into this season. Klein is entering his first season as a head coach with plenty of inexperience around him on the coaching staff. While Avery Johnson has been a player circled by national pundits as a breakout candidate for several years now, he has not reached his peak as a player just yet. The raw skill set still pops off the charts, but his inconsistencies need to be ironed out for this team to hit its peak.
Nicholls State did everything you could have asked for in the blowout victory in the season opener. The lack of talent on the Week 1 opposition is a notable asterisk that must be applied, but you have to beat who is in front of you, and they did exactly this. There are some critiques about the 10 late points put on the board by Mississippi Valley State, but the Colonels were resting some key names by this point and took their foot off the gas overall.
There should be no doubt that Kansas State is the superior team by a comfortable margin. But there are a lot of moving parts coming into the season for the Wildcats, and very little evidence that this will all come together at such a rapid rate. 41.5 points is a significant spread, especially with this being a Week 1 matchup. For what it is worth, the largest margin of victory by Kansas State last season was 25.
Expect there to be some clear issues to iron out in action for this new-look Kansas State program. Even while Klein, Gleeson, and Peterson each have some reason for optimism about their outlook on the coaching staff, each are filling integral roles for the first time. Some level of growing pains should be expected in this matchup. Expect Nicholls State to provide enough resistance to keep the game somewhat within striking distance, and for the 41.5-point total to be a shade too high given all the turnover by Kansas State.
