Here’s what the latest bowl projections are saying about the Kansas State Wildcats

Kellis Robinett
·4 min read

Kansas State football fans will have to wait until Sunday afternoon to learn when and where the Wildcats will play in a bowl game this postseason, but a few destinations are starting to look much more likely than others.

Now that the regular season is complete, K-State can give up any hope of reaching a major bowl. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas are the only Big 12 teams still in contention for a spot in one of the New Year’s Six games.

The Wildcats can also probably stop worrying about dropping to an undesirable bowl. Nine teams from the Big 12 will play in a bowl game this postseason and K-State ranks ahead of most of them.

A good bowl game remains within reach as K-State shifts its focus to some of the top postseason games in the Big 12, such as the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando. But there are other possibilities.

Here is a look at the latest projections:

K-State Wildcats bowl outlook

Regular season record: 8-4, 6-3 Big 12

Big 12 rank: T4

Bowl projections: Pop-Tarts Bowl vs. North Carolina State via The Action Network, Texas Bowl vs. Kentucky via CBS Sports, Texas Bowl vs. Texas A&M via ESPN, Liberty Bowl vs. Memphis via Yahoo! Sports, Liberty Bowl vs. Kentucky via Sporting News, Independence Bowl vs. Cal via The Athletic.

Analysis: It may finally be time for Kansas State to play a bowl game in Florida.

That has never happened before, but that could change if the Pop-Tarts Bowl extends an invitation to the Wildcats this weekend. The Orlando-based bowl, which has gone by many names over the years (Cheez-It, Camping World, Russell Athletic, Champs Sports, Tangerine, MicronPC, Carquest and Blockbuster) has considered K-State in the past but a match has never materialized.

Perhaps this year will be different. The Pop-Tarts Bowl has sent representatives to several K-State games this year, including the season-finale against Iowa State. The bowl rep at Farmageddon liked the Wildcats enough that he stuck around long after the contest was over to attend Chris Klieman’s news conference.

The Pop-Tarts Bowl gets second pick of Big 12 teams after the NY6 games are set, which means K-State will be well-positioned for an invite. Other teams in the running figure to be Iowa State, Oklahoma State and West Virginia.

One thing that should help K-State in that conversation: this game will be a new experience for its fans.

Iowa State has been twice in the past four seasons. Oklahoma State has gone twice since 2017. West Virginia made visits in 2016 and 2018.

It might be K-State’s turn.

How things shake out in the final CFP rankings could also play a factor. If the Big 12 sends two teams to major bowls then it’s hard to see the Wildcats ending up anywhere other than Orlando. If only one Big 12 team makes a NY6 game then there will be some debate.

One more thing playing in K-State’s favor: It checked in at No. 25 in the latest CFP rankings.

If an invite comes, the Wildcats will play an ACC team at 4:45 p.m. on Dec. 28 at Camping World Stadium.

Experts seem to think there are a wide range of other possibilities. Current bowl projections have the Wildcats in the Texas Bowl, the Liberty Bowl and even the Independence Bowl.

The Texas Bowl also stands out as an option for K-State, but that game may be more interested in teams like Iowa State and Oklahoma State simply because the Wildcats beat LSU in Houston less than two calendar years ago. Oklahoma State has only made one appearance in the Texas Bowl. Iowa State has never played there.

Should K-State get passed over by both the Pop-Tarts Bowl and the Texas Bowl, the Liberty Bowl in Memphis and the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix could become options.

The Liberty Bowl requested three credentials for K-State’s final game of the regular season, so it clearly has interest in both the Cyclones and the Wildcats. The Alamo Bowl was also on hand for that game, but it’s difficult to see K-State landing there after finishing fourth in the league standings.

A drop below the Guaranteed Rate Bowl seems unlikely.

K-State will hope for the Pop-Tarts Bowl, but anything between that and the Guaranteed Bowl feel possible at the moment.

Big 12 bowl order

  • College Football Playoff

  • New Year’s Six Bowl

  • Alamo Bowl in San Antonio (8:15 p.m. on Dec. 28)

  • Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando (4:45 p.m. Dec. 28)

  • Texas Bowl in Houston (8 p.m. Dec. 27)

  • Liberty Bowl in Memphis (2:30 p.m. Dec. 29)

  • Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix (8 p.m. Dec. 26)

  • Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth (2:30 p.m. Dec. 23)

  • First Responder Bowl in Dallas (4:30 p.m. Dec. 26)

  • Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La. (8:15 p.m. Dec. 16)