If KSU loses Saturday to finish 5-7, players will vote on a bowl game
If Kansas State wins on Saturday against West Virginia, the Wildcats finish the season 6-6. With six wins, KSU is heading to a bowl.
If Kansas State loses to the Mountaineers, the season ends at 5-7. And Kansas State is still likely heading to a bowl.
Athletic director John Currie told KansasCity.com Tuesday that the choice to head to a bowl game below .500 would be coach Bill Snyder's. And the coach is giving the option to the players, who, according to one player, will likely vote to go.
Currie said he supports the idea of K-State playing in a bowl with a losing record this season, even if the trip loses money for the athletic department, citing extra practices and a fun experience for players.
Junior linebacker Will Davis said he couldn’t envision a scenario in which K-State players would vote against a bowl. The plan, it seems, is for the Wildcats to play in the postseason regardless of Saturday’s outcome.
The Wildcats are second among possible 5-7 teams in Academic Progress Rate. The APR is used as a tiebreaker for losing teams to get into bowl games if there aren't enough 6-6 teams to fill all the spots. With 80 bowl slots in 2015 and not enough 6-6 teams, Kansas State is going to be eligible for a bowl game.
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Currie also has an idea for future years where 5-7 teams would be necessary to fill bowl spots. If there weren't enough 6-6 teams, the newest bowls wouldn't be played.
“The correct move, in hindsight, would have been to say when you certify a bowl, ‘Hey, warning now. You may be certified, but if you don’t have enough 6-6 teams you may not be able to have a game,’” Currie said. “We got a little crossed up there, probably because people didn’t think it would really happen. We have to go back and plug that gap.”
Given that numerous bowls are owned by ESPN and the money involved with them, it seems like a farfetched idea. But we definitely applaud Currie's originality. In a perfect world, it seems like a very logical scenario.
Nebraska, the 5-7 team ahead of Kansas State in the APR rankings, has said it would accept a bowl bid. Missouri, in the midst of a coaching search, has the same APR as the Wildcats and said Monday that it would not pursue a bowl opportunity.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
