K-State Q&A: Why did the Wildcats decline a bowl? What’s next for Collin Klein?

The past two weeks have been incredibly hectic in the world of Kansas State sports.

We have seen a successful head football coach retire (Chris Klieman). We have seen a beloved former quarterback return to his alma mater as a first-time head coach (Collin Klein). And we have seen an athletic director (Gene Taylor) decline a bowl invitation.

Surprisingly, the final topic mentioned above is what generated the most readership on our websites and the most e-mails in my inbox.

“I am very disappointed that Kansas State chose not to play in a bowl game,” one e-mail read. “What a gutless decision from our athletic director.”

“I’m glad that the Big 12 fined us $500,000,” read another. “We deserve it.”

“For decades, Bill Snyder talked about the importance of bowl practices,” read one more. “Now we’re declining them. What gives?”

In my eyes, it was a disappointing but also understandable decision from K-State to skip a bowl game.

Teams have been sending skeleton crews to bowl games for years. K-State played the LSU junior varsity in the 2021 Texas Bowl and the UCLA zombie roster in the 2017 Cactus Bowl. Both teams were nowhere near full strength and used interim head coaches for the games. And K-State crushed them both.

But they did play. One could argue it was K-State’s turn to do the same.

Even with an interim coaching staff and a roster that lacked a few players, a bowl game could have been a nice developmental opportunity for the team. It would have been fun to see Blake Barnett or Jacob Knuth start at quarterback while Matt Wells ran the show at the Independence Bowl.

But that’s easy for me to say.

Once Klieman informed Taylor that he had no desire to coach in a bowl, none of his assistants were eager to volunteer for the job. Players were indifferent about the bowl. And Iowa State looking to opt out of its bowl further complicated matters.

I got the sense that K-State would have been OK with a trip to Shreveport, Louisiana for the Independence Bowl. The Wildcats haven’t played in that game since 1982. At least it would have been a new experience. And they would have played a Conference USA team that they could probably have beaten, even with a JV roster and coaching staff.

But once Iowa State opted out, that opened the door for K-State to play in the Rate Bowl for the second straight year (against Minnesota) or the Liberty Bowl (against Navy) on the same day that the transfer portal opens. The Wildcats wanted nothing to do with those options.

So they linked arms with the Cyclones and completed the Dublin curse. K-State and Iowa State began the season with high hopes in Ireland and ended the season with no bowl game, new head coaches and a pair of $500,000 fines from the Big 12.

Now, let’s dive into your questions. Thanks, as always, for providing them.

Why didn’t the Big 12 fine Baylor and Kansas for declining bowl invitations? - Sam H. via e-mail.

The Big 12 fined Iowa State and K-State a cool $500,000 for skipping the postseason, because every team in the conference that wins six or more games is expected to play in a bowl.

The conference has contracts with 10 bowls. Those contracts bring in valuable money and exposure for the league. Brett Yormark wants Big 12 teams to play in those games.

One could argue that under the circumstances both Iowa State and K-State should have been allowed to skip a bowl without penalty. Who really cares if Coastal Carolina or K-State plays in the Independence Bowl?

But Yormark felt differently. I think the fines are a message to the rest of the league.

Baylor and Kansas were in different situations. They both finished the regular season at 5-7. So did UCF. None of those teams were expecting to play in a bowl game. Their seniors had moved on. Just because they were surprisingly offered the opportunity to play in a bowl game late in the process doesn’t mean they have to accept it.

Iowa State and K-State were on the VIP guest list and declined. Baylor, Kansas and UCF got phone calls at the list minute and said they couldn’t make it happen.

How will K-State pay its $500,000 fine from the Big 12? -@garrettb1983 via X.

My understanding is the Big 12 will simply withhold $500,000 from both Iowa State and K-State when it comes time to distribute TV and bowl money amongst its members.

I think it would be good for recruiting purposes if Texas A&M wins the national championship. Some want a loss in the first round. What say you? -@AdamMeyer35 via X.

The perfect scenario is for Texas A&M to win its first playoff game against Miami and then bow out against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.

Why? Because the transfer portal opens on Jan. 2. The quarterfinals of the CFP will be over by Jan. 1.

If Texas A&M wins exactly one playoff game, Klein can experience what it’s like to advance on the bracket and then shift his focus to recruiting the best team possible at K-State next season.

A run to the national championship could boost recruiting in the long run and maybe help Klein develop into a better head coach. But the title game won’t be played until Jan. 19. I don’t see how it behooves Klein to work two jobs for more than a month.

Perhaps Klein will have the majority of his K-State coaching staff in place by early January and he can successfully navigate his time between K-State and Texas A&M. But January is the most important month of the year when it comes to the transfer portal.

K-State fans would prefer to have Klein in Manhattan full-time when the portal opens.

Lavender football uniforms will make their debut before or after the year 2027? -@coachjeromecf via X.

After.

It pains me to type that word, because I want to see fun alternate uniforms just as much as the fans. But athletic director Gene Taylor has said that the Wildcats will never wear black while he is on the job. He has also said that lavender is strictly a men’s basketball color.

Taylor has poked fun at other schools for straying too far away from their primary colors in the past, to the detriment of K-State in Dublin earlier this year. So I don’t see him radically changing his opinion in the next two years.

But he is nearing retirement. Maybe we will see fun uniforms by 2030.

Klein and his wife went out of her way to buy matching lavender hoodies for their children before they left College Station for Manhattan last week. They are fans of lavender. I hope it happens.

In the meantime, maybe we can cross our fingers for some more subtle uniform changes.

Everyone is quiet on the next DC including those folks south of DC, what’s up? -@ScumRepub via X.

Don’t be surprised if Klein convinces Texas A&M co-defensive coordinator Jordan Peterson to follow him to K-State.

Peterson is well regarded as both a coach and as a recruiter.

He also has experience coaching in the Sunflower State, as he previously spent time at Kansas for three years when the Jayhawks were starting to get better.

I’m not sure if the plan is for him to share the DC title with another assistant coach or for him to call plays on that side of the ball solo. But he is the most obvious candidate at this time.

Will you be taking over as the new DC? -@KSUCommenter via X.

I do have some experience coaching defense ... in the Manhattan youth flag football league.

But I’m really more of a head coach who calls his own offensive plays, like Andy Reid.

Something tells me Klein has that area covered.

What turnaround was more impressive: K-State soccer from bottom dweller to bubble team or K-State volleyball from disappointment to solidly in the tournament playing for seeding? -@scottwildcat via X.

Both teams exceeded expectations and gave K-State fans memorable seasons in their sports.

But my vote goes to Jason Mansfield and the volleyball team. The Wildcats won 18 matches and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Along the way, they beat ranked teams like Baylor, Colorado, Iowa State and Kansas. That’s not easily done.

The soccer team also deserves praise, as Colleen Corbin guided the Wildcats to their first winning season at 7-6-5. I simply value a NCAA Tournament berth more than a climb out of the gutter.

Does Jerome Tang save this season. Yes, it’s only December, but it feels to be slipping away already. Should Bruce Weber come back to calm the waters? Okay, that second one was a joke, but trying to laugh instead of rage -@GuitarCatsChief via X.

I project K-State to win around 15 games and miss the NCAA Tournament ... again.

So, no, I’m not expecting Tang to save the season.

The Wildcats haven’t beaten a team that is currently rated inside the top 80 nationally by Torvik.

That’s not good. This is worse: 13 of their remaining 21 games are against teams that are currently rated in the top 50. Where are the Wildcats going to get wins once conference play begins?

Look, I did think K-State showed promise in its first five games. But the Wildcats made a bunch of 3-pointers in those games and PJ Haggerty scored at will. Neither of those things are happening anymore.

Tang needs to figure out what he wants from this roster. Are the Wildcats going to put their best scorers on the floor and try to win shootouts? Or are they going to try to win with their best defenders?

My advice would be to win games in the 90s. Put Abdi Bashir and Andrej Kostic on the floor. Who cares if they don’t play great defense. At least they will score and win you the occasional game with their offense. CJ Jones, Mobi Ikegwuruka and Taj Manning might be better on defense, but using them together isn’t a recipe for success.

K-State will probably win a game or two that no one expects because it gets hot from the outside. But I don’t see this group winning 20 games under any circumstances.

Is there a reason Andrej Kostic hasn’t been playing? Was he injured or is he on Tang’s naughty list? He brings more energy to the court than anyone else on the roster. I just don’t get it - Gordon H. via e-mail.

The simple answer is that Jerome Tang doesn’t trust Andrej Kostic on defense.

That is why the Serbian wing hasn’t been seeing much playing time this season.

But I don’t agree with that strategy. Kostic is one of the most talented and highest-paid players on the K-State roster. Why not play him and hope that his offensive skills make up for what he lacks on defense? I would much rather watch Kostic than any of K-State’s defensive-minded wings.

I would play him and let him learn how to play defense the hard way. But that is not Tang’s strategy at the moment.

Kostic did see some playing time against Mississippi Valley, though. Maybe that was a step in the right direction for him.

If Jerome Tang has another disappointing season, do you think he will walk away like Chris Klieman? -@DreamBlue99781 via X.

Doubtful.

But if K-State misses the NCAA Tournament for a third straight season Tang will definitely be on the hot seat.

What is Jerome Tang’s buyout if he is fired sometime this season? -@fretman via X.

His buyout is $18.7 million before April 30 of 2026.

This story was originally published December 12, 2025 at 10:17 AM.

Kellis Robinett

The Wichita Eagle

Kellis Robinett covers Kansas State athletics for The Wichita Eagle and The Kansas City Star. A winner of more than a dozen national writing awards, he lives in Manhattan with his wife and four children.