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Kansas State football: Ranking the 5 toughest games on the 2021 schedule

Sep 26, 2020; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Kansas State Wildcats running back Deuce Vaughn (22) runs past Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Brian Asamoah (24) during the second half at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2020; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Kansas State Wildcats running back Deuce Vaughn (22) runs past Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Brian Asamoah (24) during the second half at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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MANHATTAN, KS - DECEMBER 05: Running back Deuce Vaughn #22 of the Kansas State Wildcats runs up the sideline against the Texas Longhorns during the second half at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium on December 5, 2020 in Manhattan, Kansas. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
MANHATTAN, KS – DECEMBER 05: Running back Deuce Vaughn #22 of the Kansas State Wildcats runs up the sideline against the Texas Longhorns during the second half at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium on December 5, 2020 in Manhattan, Kansas. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Kansas State football at Texas Longhorns

At the moment, Iowa State is a better team than Texas, so why aren’t the Cyclones in the No. 2 spot here? Well, the main reason why this game is tougher than Kansas State’s contest against Iowa State is the venue.

The Wildcats, thankfully, get Iowa State in Manhattan. Unfortunately, the Kansas State football team has to go to Austin, Texas to face the Longhorns. And in a season in which Texas football fans are excited about the direction of their program, expect to see plenty of large, rowdy crowds for UT home games.

It’s difficult to project just how good Texas can be this season and it’ll be fascinating to see how consistent they are in Steve Sarkisian’s first year as head coach.

While many have questioned Sarkisian’s hire as Texas’ head coach, he was a pretty solid head coach for the Washington Huskies. It’s not easy to win in Seattle, but Sarkisian went 34-29 during his time leading Washington. From there, he ended up at USC, where he went 12-6 before a messy exit.

Since then, Sarkisian has been an offensive coordinator and helped design the offenses that led to the incredible success that Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones had in 2019 and 2020.

And while Sarkisian won’t have all the absurd talent to work with while he’s in Austin like he did in Tuscaloosa, the Longhorns still recruit well and that offense should be clicking by the time Kansas State faces Texas.

The Longhorns and Wildcats will face off at the end of the regular season. If Texas is having a good year, there’ll be an abundance of UT fans present. Even if Texas isn’t having a stellar season, the Longhorns will likely understand Sarkisian’s offense by then and they could be scoring plenty of points by then.

There’s a very good chance that this game will be very difficult.