How Kansas State can earn a berth in Big 12 championship game as early as next week
The Kansas State football team has regained control of its own destiny in the Big 12 championship race.
K-State (7-3, 5-2 Big 12) surged ahead of both Baylor (6-4, 4-3) and Texas (6-4, 4-3) in the conference standings on Saturday following an impressive 31-3 victory over the Bears. The Wildcats entered the weekend needing help, in the form of a Texas loss, to gain a clear path to the league title game on Dec. 3 at AT&T Stadium, and they got it when TCU beat the Longhorns, 17-10.
TCU (10-0, 7-0) clinched a spot in the conference championship game with its victory. The second spot remains up for grabs, but K-State has the inside track.
The path is simple. The Wildcats can make it to Arlington, Texas, by winning each of their final two games against West Virginia and Kansas. It doesn’t matter what else happens across the conference. Two more wins and K-State is in. The Wildcats don’t need any help if they finish the regular season with two more victories.
But that is not the only way K-State can reach the league title game.
There is also a scenario in which K-State could clinch a spot in the Big 12 championship with just one more victory, and it could happen as early as next week. If the Wildcats go on the road and defeat West Virginia next weekend, they can celebrate a second-place finish if Texas falls at Kansas.
In that scenario, K-State would have a two-game lead over Texas and Kansas with one game to play. The Wildcats would also have at least a one-game lead (plus tiebreakers) over Baylor and Oklahoma State (7-3, 4-3).
Things will become more complicated for K-State if it loses its next game against West Virginia. That would open the door for Texas to regain an advantage in the championship mix heading into its final game of the regular season against Baylor. The Bears and Cowboys and Jayhawks would also suddenly have new life if they win. The Sunflower Showdown could have Big 12 championship implications in that scenario.
For now, though, the path is clear.
No one can stop the Wildcats from playing for a conference title if they keep winning.
This story was originally published November 13, 2022 at 11:05 AM.