Top 5 matchups for Week 14 of the 2024 college football season

5. No. 24 Kansas State at No. 18 Iowa State – Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, FOX

Some crucial games will be played across the Big 12 this weekend, including Arizona State at Arizona and Houston at BYU. Iowa State still has a chance to face ASU or BYU in the conference championship game next weekend and can finish the regular season 10-2 with a win over Kansas State.

The Wildcats and Cyclones have one of the longest standing rivalries in college football as they have faced off every season since 1917. The series leans slightly in favor of Iowa State as the Cyclones have gone 53-50-4 against the Wildcats and have won four of the last six games in the rivalry after Kansas State had won 10 in a row.

Kansas State sits as a field-goal underdog as it heads to Ames and has struggled recently with losses to Houston and Arizona State. The Wildcats bounced back with a win over Cincinnati last week and are bowl-bound at 8-3, but could first play spoiler by defeating their rival. That will likely take a big effort from a ground attack that ranks 16th in the country behind 1,000-yard rusher DJ Giddens and dual-threat quarterback Avery Johnson.

Meanwhile, Iowa State looked poised for a conference title and playoff berth following a 7-0 start, but tough losses to Texas Tech and Kansas while also narrowly beating Utah last week has changed things. Still, a win over the Wildcats could get Iowa State right back in the playoff conversation. The Cyclones rank 32nd in the country in both total offense and total defense. They will need big games from quarterback Rocco Becht and 1,000-yard wideout Jayden Higgins, but their defense slowing the Wildcats down may ultimately be the biggest key.