Upcoming Kansas State Wildcats Football dates
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
Choosing your side in Manhattan
The best all-around seat for a Kansas State Wildcats game is on the west sideline, lower level, between the 30-yard lines. That side sits under the press box with the afternoon sun behind it, and it is where the stadium's premium spaces are. If you want the whole field for less, the east upper deck is the value play, though it faces the western sun at day games.
Home is Bill Snyder Family Stadium, an uncovered bowl in Manhattan, Kansas, rated at 50,000 seats. The home schedule runs from late August or early September to late November, and the Wildcats have been in the Big 12 since its first season in 1996.
What each side of the bowl offers
The field runs north to south, and each of the four sides has its own purpose:
- West: a limestone building from 2013, the West Side Stadium Center, houses the press box, suites, club and loge seating, the main concourse and the Tailgate Terrace. A statue of Bill Snyder stands out front.
- East: home of the stadium's only upper deck, built following the 1998 season, along with a club and concession stands on that level. It is farther from the field but shows every formation.
- North: the team comes out of the Vanier Football Complex at this end.
- South: the Shamrock Zone, a premium club area opened in 2021 that links the stadium to Bramlage Coliseum.
On the weather side, September afternoons can be hot and late-November games bring prairie wind and cold. As a day game wears on, the sun sinks into the western sky and shines toward the east stands, so a west-side ticket pays off most at early-season afternoon kickoffs.
Students, the band and quieter options
The student section is unreserved: students arrive through Gate G and claim seats in order of arrival. Since 2022 the Pride of Wildcat Land marching band has been back in Section 26, right in the middle of the students. Sections nearby are the loudest in the stadium. Families, or anyone who wants to stay seated, should look a few sections away.
Dates that pack the stadium
- Kansas: the Sunflower Showdown started in 1902 and has not skipped a year since 1911. The Governor's Cup goes to the winner. Kansas still leads the overall series, but K-State has won the great majority of meetings since the late 1980s. A Manhattan year usually makes it the season's hottest ticket.
- Iowa State: the longest uninterrupted series in the sport, played every year since 1917. The "Farmageddon" nickname stuck after two meetings at Arrowhead Stadium in 2009 and 2010, and the 2025 meeting was played in Dublin, Ireland.
- Colorado: an old Big Eight and Big 12 foe that came back to the conference in 2024.
- Nebraska, Missouri and Oklahoma: former rivals now in other leagues. The 1998 win over Nebraska snapped a 29-game losing streak, and no crowd has topped the 53,811 who saw the 2000 Nebraska game.
Next on the demand list: ranked conference opponents, the late-October homecoming game and anything kicking off after dark. Early nonconference dates are the easiest and least expensive way in.
Ahearn Fund points and the student pass
Season tickets are sold first, and seat locations depend on the Ahearn Fund, the athletics donor organization, which ranks buyers with a priority points system. Students purchase a self-renewing athletic pass, then reserve each game ahead of time in the K-State Sports app; when demand is high, the pass alone does not guarantee a seat. Public single-game sales follow renewals, and all tickets are mobile.
Season holders and students take most of the building, so single-game seats for Kansas and ranked conference opponents can be hard to find, and resale is often the main way in. Prices climb when K-State is ranked and for night kickoffs, and ease for early nonconference games. Reserved Seat orders ship with no digital transfer fees.
Gates, bags and the cashless stadium
As of the 2026 season, K-State permits clear, untinted plastic, vinyl or PVC bags no larger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches, along with a clutch smaller than 5.5 by 7.5 inches. Leave backpacks, camera cases and opaque purses at home, along with, coolers, outside food and drink, umbrellas and noisemakers. Confirm the details on K-State's stadium policies page before you go.
- Timing: lots open five hours ahead of kickoff and the stadium gates three hours later, two hours before kickoff.
- Leaving and returning: scan your ticket on the way out. After the third quarter, re-entry is only through Gates D and E.
- Payment: every K-State venue, including concessions and parking, is cashless.
- Beer and drinks: any ticket holder of legal age can buy at the Powercat Porch or the North and South Goss Family Tailgate Terrace. Sales start when gates open and stop once the third quarter ends, with a limit of two per ID per purchase.
Push-ups, motorcycles and the Snyder story
- Willie the Wildcat: one push-up for every point K-State has scored, capped by the "K-S-U, Wildcats" chant.
- The first-down call: since the 1990s the stadium announcer starts "Good for a Wildcat..." and the crowd shouts "first down" with an arm signal.
- Harley Day: since 1998, a line of motorcycles circles the field during pregame, led by Willie in biker gear.
- Fort Riley Day: each season one home game salutes the Army post down the road and its families, frequently with planes overhead and military equipment on display, and attendance tends to run high.
- EMAW: "Every Man a Wildcat," a phrase traced to the old Ahearn Field press box.
The band's pregame show is built on the alma mater, "Wildcat Victory" and "Wabash Cannonball," and tailgates fill the lots around the stadium and Bramlage Coliseum.
The stadium opened in 1968 as KSU Stadium, and it carries the name of the coach who changed everything. K-State's first official season was 1896, and for decades it ranked among the weakest programs in major college football. When Snyder arrived in 1989, the team was winless in its previous 27 games and owned Division I-A's poorest all-time winning percentage. Under him came a first-ever bowl victory in the 1993 Copper Bowl, a perfect 11–0 regular season and the No. 1 ranking in 1998, an AP poll streak of 108 straight weeks between 1995 and 2001, and the 2003 Big 12 title, the first league crown since 1934. He retired, came back in 2009, won the 2012 Big 12 and stepped away for good after 2018 with 215 wins and a place in the College Football Hall of Fame. The Powercat logo dates to his first year. In 2022, K-State beat TCU for a third Big 12 championship and played in its first Sugar Bowl.
Frequently asked questions
Which side of Bill Snyder Family Stadium is best for a day game?
The west side. It sits under the press box with the afternoon sun behind it, while the east stands face the sun as it moves west.
Is the east upper deck a good seat?
For value, yes. It is farther from the field but shows the entire game, and it usually costs less than lower sideline seats. Expect sun at afternoon games.
Can students sit anywhere at K-State games?
They use Gate G and take open seating in the student area on a first-come basis; the band sits in Section 26 among them.
Can I leave and come back during a K-State game?
Yes, if you scan out as you exit. Once the fourth quarter starts, only Gates D and E admit returning fans.
Is cash accepted at Bill Snyder Family Stadium?
No. K-State venues are cashless, including concessions and parking.
What is the attendance record at Bill Snyder Family Stadium?
53,811, for K-State's 29–28 win over Nebraska on November 11, 2000, the largest crowd for a college sporting event in Kansas.