K-State bowl projections: One final look at where Wildcats might play this postseason
Things couldn’t have gone much better for the Big 12 or the Kansas State Wildcats this weekend.
Oklahoma appears destined for a spot in the College Football Playoff after winning the Big 12 championship game, and Baylor is likely headed to the Sugar Bowl. With Utah falling out of the playoff mix and two Big 12 teams seemingly on their way to major bowls, that means the K-State football team is now in the mix for some of the conference’s better postseason games.
Signs currently point to the Wildcats spending the postseason in San Antonio for the Alamo Bowl or Orlando, Fla. for the Camping World Bowl. But bowl games can be unpredictable. If both of those games pass on K-State, the Texas Bowl and Liberty Bowl remain possibilities.
Here is a final breakdown of K-State’s bowl outlook before the Wildcats learn the postseason destination on Sunday afternoon:
Alamo Bowl
6:30 p.m. Dec. 31 in San Antonio, Texas
The folks at the Alamo Bowl have shown significant interest in K-State this week. The Wildcats finished the regular season with back-to-back victories and have arguably the strongest resume of any of the Big 12 teams vying for an invitation at 8-4. They also have brought lots of fans to San Antonio in the past.
“They are definitely a team that is in consideration,” said Alamo Bowl president Derrick Fox. “Kansas State had a good year and a big victory over Oklahoma. Chris Klieman had a great first year as coach and their fans have always been very enthusiastic. We have had good experiences with them here. There are just lots of positives from Kansas State’s perspective.”
The question here is, would the Alamo Bowl rather invite Texas, which is closer and brings name appeal?
It could also have eyes for Oklahoma State, which is ranked No. 25 in this week’s playoff rankings. K-State sneaking into the top 25 on Sunday could help its chances here.
The Alamo Bowl is likely to select Utah or Southern California from the Pac-12 on the other side of this matchup.
Outlook: This seems like the most likely landing spot for K-State, potentially against Utah. But it might be hard for the Alamo Bowl to pass on Texas.
Camping World Bowl
11 a.m. Dec. 28 in Orlando, Florida
Fun fact: K-State has never played a bowl game in Florida. That could make the Wildcats an appealing option for this postseason game against Notre Dame or an ACC opponent.
But Iowa State and Texas have never played in the Camping World Bowl, either.
The Camping World Bowl has made no secret about its desires to select Texas and Notre Dame, which would create one of the juiciest bowl games of the year. But will the Longhorns still be available?
Outlook: If the Alamo Bowl selects Texas, the Wildcats will probably end up in Orlando. But if the Alamo Bowl chooses Oklahoma State, the Camping World Bowl will almost certainly go with the Longhorns.
Texas Bowl
5:45 p.m. Dec. 27 in Houston
K-State could spend the postseason at NRG Stadium against a SEC team if both the Alamo Bowl and Camping World Bowl go with different options. The Wildcats had a good experience the last time they were in Houston, defeating Texas A&M 33-28 in 2016.
Outlook: The Texas Bowl would surely be happy with K-State as its Big 12 team, but it might be happier with Iowa State and Oklahoma State. The Cyclones and Cowboys have never participated in this game before.
Liberty Bowl
2:45 p.m. Dec. 31 in Memphis
This game against a SEC opponent will only come into play for K-State if all thee of the bowls above it in the Big 12 pecking order pass on the Wildcats, who last played in the Liberty Bowl in 2016 and lost to Arkansas.
Outlook: This seems like a long shot. K-State is unlikely to end up in Memphis after everything that happened this weekend.
This story was originally published December 8, 2019 at 7:53 AM.