Kansas State football officially turns down bowl game invite

In the aftermath of Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman’s retirement, the Wildcats have decided not to attend a bowl game this postseason.

Kansas State became bowl-eligible in the final game of the regular season, a 24-14 home win vs. Colorado, but less than a week later, Klieman announced his retirement from coaching. And although he was quickly succeeded by Collin Klein, a former star Wildcats quarterback, Klein will remain as the offensive coordinator of Texas A&M through the Aggies’ College Football Playoff (CFP) run, and there was reportedly some concern that K-State would struggle to field a team for its bowl game.

“The school ultimately came to the decision not to play in a bowl because of the ‘coaching transition and several uncertainties, including roster availability,’ a source said,” according to On3’s Brett McMurphy.

Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor said he spoke with leaders on the team about a bowl game following Klieman’s retirement, although contrary to some reports, Taylor said the players did not vote to skip out on a bowl.

Nonetheless, the Big 12 Conference levied a fine against both Kansas State and Iowa State, which similarly decided not to play in the postseason after Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell left for Penn State.

“The Big 12 Conference is issuing a $500,000 institutional fine to Iowa State and Kansas State for opting out of their participation in the Conference’s bowl pool,” the conference’s statement reads.

“While the Conference acknowledges the difficult timing around coaching changes, the Big 12 is responsible for fulfilling its contractual obligations to its bowl partners.”

It was expected that Kansas State, if it had accepted a bowl invite, would have attended the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana on Dec. 30.

The entire bowl schedule will be announced throughout the rest of Sunday as the participants and pairings are confirmed.

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