Most people don't know the difference outside if B12 country.
attended and worked at 2 big 10 schools. previously lived in big 10 country, and now in the middle of ACC land. still work in higher ed.
sports-wise, definitely see more KU stuff and their bball program is obviously the larger national brand. no denying it's something for them to hang their hats on while college bball is still even a thing.
but the delusion of KU being some kind of academic powerhouse, with kstate paling in comparison, is hilarious. once you get outside of the top 40 schools or so, which includes the legit "public ivy's" with selective enrollment, like UVA, UMich, Berkley, etc., no employer, grad school admissions officer, or anyone else for that matter, makes any distinction between large state institutions like ku and kstate. obviously all schools have some programs that are stronger than others, but general reputation-wise, they're completely interchangeable.