Kansas vs. Kansas State
Kansas and Kansas State first met in 1902 and have played 124 times; officially, Kansas leads 65–53–5 by Kansas’s count and 64–54–5 by Kansas State’s (the 1980 game, which the Big Eight ordered Kansas to forfeit, is disputed); as played, 65–54–5. Over the last 10 meetings it’s Kansas State 10–0, and Kansas State has won the last 18. The winner takes home the Governor’s Cup. Kansas State holds it. This page counts every game on file as it was played. Share
- Official series
- Kansas leads 65–53–5 by Kansas’s count and 64–54–5 by Kansas State’s (the 1980 game, which the Big Eight ordered Kansas to forfeit, is disputed)
- Kansas wins on file
- 65
- Kansas State wins on file
- 54
- Ties
- 5
- First meeting
- 1902
- Longest streak
- 18 Kansas State
- Current streak
- 18 Kansas State
- Last 10 meetings
- Kansas State 10–0
- Most recent
- 2026
The series at a glance
| ’0 | ’1 | ’2 | ’3 | ’4 | ’5 | ’6 | ’7 | ’8 | ’9 | W–L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 7–1 | ||||||||||
| 1910s | 8–0–1 | ||||||||||
| 1920s | 3–5–2 | ||||||||||
| 1930s | 4–6 | ||||||||||
| 1940s | 8–2 | ||||||||||
| 1950s | 7–3 | ||||||||||
| 1960s | 8–1–1 | ||||||||||
| 1970s | 8–2 | ||||||||||
| 1980s | 6–3–1 | ||||||||||
| 1990s | 2–8 | ||||||||||
| 2000s | 4–6 | ||||||||||
| 2010s | 0–10 | ||||||||||
| 2020s | 0–7 |
- Both ranked
- 1 meeting: Kansas 0, Kansas State 1
- Average margin
- 18.1 points; 40 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
- At Kansas
- 37–24–2 Kansas’s record at home
- At Kansas State
- 30–28–3 Kansas State’s record at home
- Shutouts
- 33
Every meeting on file, as played. Ranks are the AP poll’s going in.
Governor’s Cup
- Played for since
- —
- Held by
- Kansas State
Who holds it comes from the games on file: the winner of the latest regular-season meeting (bowl rematches aren’t played for it); a tie leaves it with the holder (the usual rule; the article doesn’t say). From Wikipedia’s list of rivalry games and the rivalry’s article (CC BY-SA). More on the Governor’s Cup.
Games that tell the story
- Kansas’s biggest win1947: Kansas 55, Kansas State 0by 55 points
- Kansas State’s biggest win2002: Kansas State 64, Kansas 0by 64 points
- Upset1938: Kansas 27, Kansas State 7Kansas had a 26% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Upset1986: Kansas State 29, Kansas 12Kansas State had a 34% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Upset1932: Kansas 19, Kansas State 0Kansas had a 35% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Ranked showdown1995: Kansas State 41, Kansas 7No. 6 Kansas at No. 14 Kansas State
Coach against coach
| Years | Kansas | Series | Kansas State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1905–1908 | Doc Kennedy | 3–1 | Mike Ahearn |
| 1921–1925 | Potsy Clark | 1–2–2 | Charlie Bachman |
| 1928–1931 | Bill Hargiss | 2–2 | Bo McMillin |
| 1935–1938 | Adrian Lindsey | 2–2 | Wesley Fry |
| 1948–1950 | Jules Sikes | 3–0 | Ralph Graham |
| 1951–1953 | Jules Sikes | 2–1 | Bill Meek |
| 1955–1957 | Chuck Mather | 2–1 | Bernard Mertes |
| 1960–1966 | Jack Mitchell | 6–0–1 | Doug Weaver |
| 1967–1970 | Pepper Rodgers | 3–1 | Vince Gibson |
| 1971–1974 | Don Fambrough | 3–1 | Vince Gibson |
| 1975–1977 | Bud Moore | 3–0 | Ellis Rainsberger |
| 1979–1982 | Don Fambrough | 3–1 | Jim Dickey |
| 1989–1996 | Glen Mason | 3–5 | Bill Snyder |
| 1997–2001 | Terry Allen | 0–5 | Bill Snyder |
| 2002–2009 | Mark Mangino | 1–4 | Bill Snyder |
| 2006–2008 | Mark Mangino | 3–0 | Ron Prince |
| 2015–2018 | David Beaty | 0–4 | Bill Snyder |
| 2021–2025 | Lance Leipold | 0–5 | Chris Klieman |
Head-coach pairings with three or more meetings on file, the series read from Kansas’s side (Kennedy 3–1 against Ahearn). A season split between coaches goes to the one credited with the game.
Both programs through the years
Our Elo rating at the end of each season, a measure of how strong a team was, not a forecast; 1500 is an average FBS team.
Stars of the series
Biggest days
| Jake Sharp Kansas | 21 carries, 181 yards, 4 TD | 2008 Rushing | |
| Steven Sims Jr. Kansas | 9 catches, 233 yards, 1 TD | 2017 Receiving |
Biggest days: the week’s best individual games by our big-days rule, from box scores (2004 on).
From the newspapers
1909 · The Topeka state journal, Topeka, Kansas, Oct 18, 1909
1935 · Evening star, District of Columbia, Oct 27, 1935
1940 · Evening star, District of Columbia, Oct 27, 1940
1942 · Evening star, Oct 25, 1942
1943 · The Wilmington morning star, North Carolina, Oct 31, 1943
Public-domain newspapers from the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America, found through the American Stories dataset (Dell and Harvard, CC BY 4.0). The earliest meetings with a story on file; each game’s page has the full text.
On television
| 2025 | TNT | 0.5 million viewers |
Viewers: Nielsen, as compiled by nschultz7’s ratings tracker.
Every game
Every game is listed as played on the field.