Big 12 reduces fines for Kansas State and Iowa State after skipping bowl games
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Big 12 announced $500,000 fines for both Kansas State and Iowa State.
- Both schools appealed and each fine was reduced to $250,000.
- The Big 12 is expected to withhold $250,000 of yearly revenue from each school.
A few months ago, the Kansas State football team decided to forgo playing in a bowl even though the Wildcats won six games and qualified for the postseason.
That choice wasn’t well-received by the Big 12 office. Brett Yormark was so disappointed in K-State that the conference commissioner announced a $500,000 fine for the Wildcats. The same financial penalty was also assessed to Iowa State when the Cyclones turned down a bowl bid.
But those fines have been reduced over time. A K-State spokesman confirmed on Wednesday that both the Cyclones and the Wildcats appealed their fines to the conference office. And those fines were ultimately reduced to $250,000.
College football insider Brett McMurphy was first to report the news.
Rather than demand payment from either school, the Big 12 is expected to withhold $250,000 worth of yearly conference revenue distribution from both K-State and Iowa State.
It was a difficult choice for K-State to skip a bowl, but athletic director Gene Taylor said he felt it was the right move for the Wildcats after former coach Chris Klieman unexpectedly retired in early December.
K-State didn’t want to play in a bowl with an interim coaching staff and an uncertain roster.
“Following our recent coaching change and conversations with our player leadership and Commissioner Yormark, I determined that we will not accept a bowl invitation on Sunday,” Taylor said at the time. “This decision was not taken lightly, but with our coaching staff transition and several uncertainties regarding player availability, I felt it was not in our best interest to try to field a team that was not representative of Kansas State University.”
In a statement, the league acknowledged that the timing around a coaching change can be difficult but felt a fine was necessary because the Big 12 is responsible for fulfilling its contractual obligations to its bowl partners. The same reasoning applied to Iowa State when it skipped a bowl game following Matt Campbell’s departure to Penn State.
Immediately after Klieman’s retirement, Taylor said he would leave the team’s bowl fate up to a vote from players.
Instead, the Wildcats waited until bowl selection day to announce they were skipping the postseason.
K-State had played in a bowl game in each of the past four seasons.
This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 11:50 AM with the headline "Big 12 reduces fines for Kansas State and Iowa State after skipping bowl games."