Kansas State vs Southern Illinois 9/11/21 College Football Picks, Odds, Predictions

The Kansas State Wildcats meet the Southern Illinois Salukis Saturday in college football action from Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Southern Illinois is coming off an opener versus Southeast Missouri State. The Salukis managed a blowout win to kick off the season. As for the Wildcats, they played Stanford in their first game. Kansas State won that one by 21 points. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place. 

The Salukis managed to play 10 games total last season, finishing 6-4 overall with a 3-3 mark in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Southern Illinois finished fifth in the standings but fell in their FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals game to South Dakota State 31-26. 

Southern Illinois had a nice start versus Southeast Missouri State in their opener. The Salukis jumped out to a 28-7 lead at the break and cruised to a 47-21 win. Quarterback Nic Baker led the way on 460 yards and four touchdowns while Avante’ Cox had five catches for 187 yards and a score. 

Over on the Kansas State side, they made it to a 4-6 record last fall with a 4-5 mark in the Big 12 games. The Wildcats finished ahead of just three teams in the conference. Kansas State started out well at 4-1 but lost five straight to finish off the season. 

In their opener game versus the Cardinal, Kansas State turned a 14-0 halftime lead into a 24-7 victory. Quarterback Skylar Thompson threw for 144 yards and a pick, while also scoring two rush touchdowns. Deuce Vaughn had 13 carries for 124 yards and a score. 

PICK: I’m going to take a stab on Southern Illinois. The Salukis posted 460 passing yards and four touchdowns through the air in their opener win, while also notching a couple of rush scores. The offense was working pretty well for Southern Illinois, especially through the air. 

As for Kansas State, they averaged 7.6 yards per play in their victory, logging a 3-for-8 mark on third and fourth downs. The Wildcats defense was solid as well. This should be an interesting matchup, but I think the Salukis can keep pace on a cover.