College football will be kicking off with an important matchup on Saturday. Kansas State and Iowa State will face off against each other, beginning their campaigns as worthy contenders for the Big 12 title. The game could go any way, as both teams debut strong squads. The Wildcats, whose offense will be led by Avery Johnson, however, can face a serious threat from their opponent.

In July, Big 12 coaches anonymously voted for the winner of the Big 12 Championship this year. Kansas State, which has surged up the rankings this season, finished as the top choice, with 8 votes. But Iowa State was hot on its heels, with 7 votes. A lot rides on the success of Avery Johnson, who will lead the Wildcats’ offense for the second time. However, Matt Campbell’s tendency to deploy one strategy can upset his promising campaign.

How the HC strategizes his defense this season is something Johnson and Co. will witness for the first time, directly on the field. “When you’re playing a team like that early in the season, how much are you going to be able to go good-on-good? You’re installing all your stuff, but you know, ‘Hey, they’re going to be in 12 personnel. They’re going to shift, they’re going to motion almost every single play,’” an anonymous Big 12 coach told On3’s Pete Nakos. He revealed that he has played them late in the season, which gave his team time to break down their plans. Kansas State, however, doesn’t get that opportunity.

“They’re going to do so much. They’re seldom ever stagnant formationally,” the coach said of his observations of Matt Campbell’s defense. Iowa State has two weapons in Jeremiah Cooper and Jontez Williams, making their DB unit alone one of the best in the conference. Matt Campbell is already coming off an 11-3 season from last year. Chris Klieman and his offense are going to be in for a wild ride in this much-awaited game.

Kansas State has leaders like Johnson, who returns after breaking the school’s single-season record of passing TDs (25). He even has elite support in 5-star TE Linkon Cure and RB Dylan Edwards. The strong TE room from last year returns as well, that led the nation with 13 TDs. But this time, they are going to face a rejuvenated Iowa State defense, that isn’t going to let up on the strong K-state offense. In fact, it’s going to come down hard.

Kansas State offense should be prepared for the defensive mastermind

Iowa State has Jon Heacock as DC. The anonymous coach called him “The Godfather,” in the defense scenario between the two teams. He said that both parties have similar defensives. But Heacock will be the X-factor. The man was a finalist for the Broyles Award in 2018, and he ended up as a nominee in 2022 and 2024. His defense last year topped the conference total, scoring, passing, and rushing defenses. So, yes, Avery Johnson is set for a strong fight in Dublin on Saturday.

“You very rarely see them give up big plays. They make you drive the ball. They don’t give up the big play and make you drive the ball and make the offense make a mistake,” the anonymous coach added more in his notes of the Cyclones defense. Along with Cooper and Williams, there’s also Kooper Ebel. Coming with a strong 69 tackles, this guy means business. And, there’s also new DL Tamatoa McDonough, who hauled in 6.5 sacks. Avery Johnson is going to have some troubles in this high-stakes game.

Fans are expecting some intense action to play out on Farmageddon in Ireland.Maybe K-State’s promising offense needs to be on the lookout for a strong Cyclones defense. With Heacock and Matt Campbell driving this ship, it’s going to be a tough ride for a squad that’s hoping to be the conference’s best.