Kansas State Question of the Week: What bowl do the Wildcats go to?
After dropping a dud in the loss to Iowa State to end the regular season, the Kansas State bowl scenario is murkier. Instead of being a team searching for a 10th win and finishing tied for second place in the Big 12, K-State is just 8-4.
The Wildcats are in a tie for fourth place with West Virginia and Iowa State. So which bowl game takes Kansas State when it comes to being their turn to make a selection come Sunday?
First, it is good to remember this year’s Big 12 bowl selection order. The first selection belongs to the Cotton Bowl, which will get the Big 12 Champion (Texas). But it is important to remember that the Longhorns could make the College Football Playoff after defeating Oklahoma State in Arlington.
If no Big 12 school makes the playoff and it doesn’t get a second at-large bid to the New Year’s Six, the official process starts with the Valero Alamo Bowl. The rest of the order after the Alamo Bowl is the Pop-Tarts Bowl, Texas Bowl, Liberty Bowl, Guaranteed Rate Bowl, Independence Bowl and others if the Big 12 needs extra bowl slots.
Another reminder on bowl selection, just because a team finished in second place doesn’t guarantee them the second bowl slot. Last season Oklahoma finished 6-6 and 3-6 in league play but still ended up in the third-best bowl available.
Where does that put K-State? It all comes down to the attractiveness to the individual bowl game in the selection order.
While Texas will be in the Cotton Bowl or in the College Football Playoff, the Alamo Bowl will likely take the brand power and 10-2 Oklahoma Sooners. Over the last four seasons, the Alamo Bowl has only taken Oklahoma or Texas when they have been available.
The Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando is due up next. Kansas State is in a good spot to make their first bowl trip to Florida this season. Other teams in the running for the Pop Tarts Bowl would likely be Iowa State and Oklahoma State, but each team has been to Orlando twice in the last five seasons.
Another major indicator of the likely K-State trip to Orlando is that Pop Tarts Bowl representatives have been to at least four games this season, that we know of. They were present for two games in Manhattan and two road games.
They saw the Wildcats be victorious at Texas Tech and home against Houston, while seeing losses at Texas and to Iowa State.
In recent days bowl projections from various outlets have also started to jump on board. Most projections now have Kansas State facing NC State in Orlando.
Another small possibility for disruption lies with Oklahoma. If the Sooners sneak into the New Year’s Six picture with Texas, it opens up the Alamo Bowl. The San Antonio bowl game would likely choose between K-State and Oklahoma State.
The Cowboys’ last trip to San Antonio was in 2016, while the Wildcats last went in 2014.
Barring anything surprising happening in the selection process, I will stick with my instincts. Kansas State will be playing in the Pop Tarts Bowl on December 28th in Orlando versus Dave Doeren and the NC State Wolfpack.
