Why K-State might play in one of the Big 12’s top bowls, or get passed over for Texas
Later this week, the folks in charge of the Alamo Bowl might face one of the most difficult selection decisions in the 26-year history of their postseason game.
There’s a chance they will choose between four teams with identical Big 12 records that finished third in the conference standings — Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Texas. An argument could be made for or against all of them, and there’s no set criteria for breaking ties.
“You have to look at a number of things with that group of teams,” Alamo Bowl president Derrick Fox said. “Their records are very comparable. No one ran the table on everyone else, so there’s no clear cut tiebreaker in that respect. None of them are currently ranked. We might have to look at style of play and what kind of matchup that creates with the Pac-12 team we have on the other side. We will also consider how their fans travel. There are lots of intangibles to consider as we come down the stretch.”
Bowl speculation is already a hot topic in K-State circles, and that won’t change until the games officially announce their decisions on Sunday afternoon. The Wildcats are heading to the postseason for the first time under new football coach Chris Klieman, and fans are eager to learn where they will play. The most logical options are the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 31 in San Antonio, the Camping World Bowl on Dec. 28 in Orlando and the Texas Bowl on Dec. 27 in Houston.
Which one will it be?
The answer seems to depend on two main factors.
The first: how many Big 12 teams qualify for the College Football Playoff and its affiliated bowls? If Baylor and Oklahoma both make the cut, K-State can hope for an invitation to Orlando or San Antonio. But if one of those teams gets snubbed, the Alamo Bowl will almost certainly select the Big 12’s second-place team and force everyone else down a spot.
The second: Do bowls at the top of the Big 12 selection order prefer K-State, which won eight games and finished the regular season on a winning streak, or Texas, which won seven games and brings name appeal?
“Any time you have a chance to bring Texas to town it’s going to get a lot of conversation, and it’s going to get a long look from our committee,” said Matt Repchak, senior marketing director for Florida Citrus Sports, which runs the Camping World Bowl. “You get into a long partnership with a conference in order to host the power programs in that conference, teams that have won championships and are name brands over the lifetime of that conference. Those are the teams you want.”
Repchak stopped short of labeling Texas as a favorite for the Camping World Bowl, saying K-State, Oklahoma State and Iowa State are also under consideration from the Big 12. It is looking at Notre Dame, along with Virginia Tech and Wake Forest from the ACC.
Many expect Texas and Notre Dame to end up here, which would be one of the juiciest bowls of the season. But the Alamo Bowl, which picks first, could grab the Longhorns and pit them against Oregon, Utah or Southern California. Those would also be attractive games.
But the Alamo Bowl would have to bypass a pair of 8-4 teams, K-State and Oklahoma State, to select the 7-5 Longhorns. It will be a fascinating debate.
Texas last played in San Antonio in 2013. K-State’s last appearance was in 2015. The Alamo Bowl has alternated between Big 12 teams from the Lone Star State and out-of-state teams for six straight seasons, hosting Iowa State last year.
Oklahoma State and Iowa State are also options, but the Cowboys seem to have lost some luster because of injuries and the Cyclones were just there. Both teams are also coming off a loss.
Bowl representatives seem more excited about the Wildcats.
“They are definitely a team that is in consideration,” said Fox, the Alamo Bowl president. “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 Wildcats became a realistic choice for the Big 12’s better bowls when they ended the season with wins over Texas Tech and Iowa State.
“They are right in the thick of things,” Repchak said. “We sent around a list of teams to our committee and K-State is up at the top of that list, rank and record wise.”
Fun fact: K-State has never played a bowl game in the state of Florida.
“Any time we can get a team down for the first time and it’s a new attraction, a new destination for fans and a good experience for the players and something that is new for them you want to do it,” Repchak said. “That is why we put on a bowl game. You want to be able to give both players and fans a great new experience and that is why we feel good about our position as a change of pace in the Big 12 bowl lineup.”
The Wildcats will likely end up in the Texas Bowl against a SEC opponent if they get passed over by the top two games in the Big 12 bowl order. The Liberty Bowl in Memphis selects fourth, followed by the Cheez-It Bowl in Phoenix.
Few bowl projections can currently agree on K-State.
Stadium and ESPN both project K-State will play Texas A&M at the Texas Bowl. CBS predicts K-State will face Southern California at the Alamo Bowl. Athlon has K-State traveling to Memphis for the Liberty Bowl against Central Florida on Dec. 31. And Sporting News thinks K-State will play Notre Dame at the Camping World Bowl.
One other thing that could help K-State’s bowl stock: a ranking. The Wildcats finished just outside this week’s AP top 25, but they could return to the playoff rankings on Tuesday night. Bowl directors love it when their game features a pair of ranked teams.
That could be used as a tiebreaker between the Big 12’s third-place teams.
“You have to look at everything each and every year,” Fox said. “Not all records are the same. How did the teams play? What were they projected to be and how did they finish? What kind of story lines do they have? That all plays into it. We will have to wait and see what happens. There are lots of great teams under consideration.”
This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 10:55 AM with the headline "Why K-State might play in one of the Big 12’s top bowls, or get passed over for Texas."