2024 CFB What Ifs: What if Kansas State never lost a clunker at Houston?
Kansas State looked like a Big 12 title caliber team...then things unraveled at the hands of Willie Fritz and the Houston Cougars.
College football is a game of inches, split-second decisions and unpredictable twists that can alter the trajectory of an entire season. In this new offseason series, What Ifs, I’ll dive into the sliding door moments of the 2024 college football season—the plays, calls and decisions that could’ve changed everything.
I’ll explore how the alternate outcomes might have reshaped the College Football Playoff picture, conference standings, Heisman race and more.
What might have been? Let’s find out.
Houston head coach Willie Fritz is a man of many talents. Those in the industry might so far as to label him an FFC (fucking football coach).
In his introductory press conference, Fritz said, “One of the advantages I feel like that I have maybe other head coaches I don’t have is I’ve taped ankles. I’ve lined fields. I scheduled and advised student-athletes for 15 years. I was a strength coach for 20 years. So I’ve done it all, and you got to make sure that you have the whole department aligned.”
Year 1 in Houston was, as Fritz noted, all about alignment.
The program had been to some weird places in previous seasons. Fresh off a disappointing Dana Holgerson era, the Cougars were looking for stability and a way forward. Fritz, off the back of a strong punch-above-your-weight tenure at Tulane, was the man tabbed for the job.
Entering the November 2 matchup against 17th-ranked Kansas State, Houston was experiencing a Year 1 spiral. The Cougars sat at 3-5 and even with a strong finish, a bowl game felt likely out of reach. Kansas State, on the other hand, was a hot commodity. The Wildcats entered the evening 7-1 and were riding a three-game win streak.
Perhaps it was a little too much El Tiempo. Maybe it was the consistent thump of Gasolina. Whatever it was, Kansas State had a hard time coping with an upstart Houston team that was primed and ready to punch above its weight.
The Wildcats opened the scoring in the game with a comfortable field goal and established an early 3-0 lead.
Houston answered with a touchdown of its own, courtesy of dual-threat backup quarterback Donovan Smith. Later, the Cougars chipped in a field goal and established a second-quarter 10-3 lead.
Kansas State’s offense stormed back, however, and answered with a pair of back-to-back touchdowns courtesy of running back DJ Giddens and quarterback Avery Johnson. The Wildcats took a firm six-point lead into the halftime break.
After a quick field goal, Kansas State was comfortably ahead 19-10 and looked like it would cruise to victory. Then Houston quarterback Zeon Chriss happened.
Chriss—a runner by nature—had been abnormally accurate on the night and finished with an impressive 11/11 for 103 yards and one touchdown stat line. He was also a major factor in the run game and chipped in 75 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries.
Down nine points in the fourth quarter, Chriss took over. He tossed a one-yard touchdown to Maliq Carr with 11 minutes left. And after the Cougar defense forced a stop, he broke off a back-breaking 41-yard touchdown to put the Cougars up five with two and a half minutes to go.
Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson failed to orchestrate a game-winning drive and the Wildcats dropped an inexplicable game to a below-average Houston team with a first-year head coach.
What if Kansas State hadn’t lost a clunker on the road at Houston?
It’s difficult to say for certain, but I was a genuine believer in Kansas State and felt like it could’ve been a genuine contender for the Big 12 title. Unfortunately, after the loss to Houston, things sort of unraveled for the Wildcats.
Kansas State, short on confidence, lost a close one to eventual Big 12 champion Arizona State and later rounded out the regular season with a loss to Big 12 title game participant Iowa State.
The Wildcats had all the hallmarks of a team that could’ve truly competed for the Big 12 title. A dynamic quarterback. A quality head coach. And a defense that did a good job of generating pressure and keeping the team in games. But alas, things just did not work out for Kansas State in the end.
Ultimately, I think the Houston loss just destroyed K-State’s confidence. I have no inside information to say that for certain, but I just got that vibe.
How does that clunker loss impact Kansas State in 2024 and beyond?
The 2024 loss to Houston should feel like a missed opportunity, more than anything. I think Kansas State had enough in the tank to truly compete for the Big 12 title, but things just sort of unraveled after the loss to the Cougars.
Next year, Kansas State will rightfully so be a trendy pick to compete for and win the Big 12. Let’s hope the returning players have learned from past mistakes and can avoid the same bumps in the road in 2025.