Kansas State football bowl game: Projections, live updates from selection day

Kansas State football's Big 12 championship fate was sealed before kickoff of last week's regular season finale against Iowa State. The question is whether a 42-35 loss cost the Wildcats more than a perfect home record for the season.

Did falling to the Cyclones as double-digit favorites also cost them a first-ever Florida bowl appearance at the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Dec. 28 in Orlando? Or will the Wildcats benefit from the fact that Oklahoma State and Iowa State, the other top contenders, both have been there twice in recent years, leading the bowl to look for some new blood.

If the Pop-Tarts Bowl is a no-go, are the Wildcats destined for a fourth trip and third in seven years to the Texas Bowl on Dec. 27 in Houston? Other less likely possibilities are the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 29 in Memphis, where they visited in 2015 and 2019, or the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix on Dec. 26.

In four previous seasons under fifth-year coach Chris Klieman, K-State has been to three bowl games, going 1-2. The Wildcats lost, 20-17, to Navy in the 2019 Liberty Bowl, beat LSU, 42-20, in the 2021 Texas Bowl, and then fell, 45-20, to Alabama last year in their first-ever Sugar Bowl apperance.

Follow along here for the latest projections leading up to today's announcement to see where the Wildcats end up.

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It's official: Kansas State football will face NC State in Pop-Tarts Bowl

Kansas State is headed to Orlando, Florida, to face North Carolina State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Dec. 28 at Camping World Stadium. Kickoff will be 4:45 p.m. CT.

It will be the first-ever bowl visit to the state for Florida for K-State (8-4) and also the first meeting every between the Wildcats and North Carolina State (9-3).

Kansas State football vs. North Carolina State, according to Brett McMurphy

There has been no official announcement yet, but Action Network's Brett McMurphy reports that K-State's opponent in the Pop-Tarts Bowl will be North Carolina State.

Kansas State football to Pop-Tarts Bowl, Brett McMurphy reports

Action Network's Brett McMurphy is reporting that Kansas State will indeed go to the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlandon, Florida on Dec. 28 to face either Notre Dame or an ACC team.

Apparently ACC are battling for bowl positions, which is delaying an official announcement.

Oklahoma State to Texas Bowl, Brett McMurphy reports

Action Network's Brett McMurphy reports that Oklahoma State is headed to the Texas Bowl.

That's good news for a K-State bid to Pop-Tarts Bowl.

Oklahoma falls outside New Year's Six mix

With Oklahoma being bypassed for a New Year's Six bowl, how will that affect K-State?

Will the Wildcats still get a call from Pop-Tarts Bowl or fall to the Texas Bowl or worse? Stay tuned.

Oklahoma could hold the key for Wildcats' destination

We'll find out soon if Oklahoma climbs into a New Year's Six spot, which would clear a path for K-State to the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Florida.

If the Cotton Bowls tabs the Sooners, Oklahoma State most likely would to to the Alamo Bowl and Pop-Tarts would grab K-State.

K-State football potential bowl opponent history

If Kansas State faces either Notre Dame or North Carolina State in the Pop-Tart Bowl, it not only will be the Wildcats' first bowl appearance in Florida, but also the first time they have faced the Fighting Irish or Wolfpack in football.

Some projections have the Wildcats meeting Kentucky, most likely in the Liberty Bowl. The two Wildcats have met four times, most recently in 1982, with K-State winning in Manhattan (23-9) and in 1983 with Kentucky claiming a 31-12 victory in Lexington.

One other possibility that was raised earlier in the week was a Texas Bowl matchup with Texas A&M. That series is tied at 8-8 with most of the matchups coming when A&M was in the Big 12. K-State won the last four meetings, most recently in 2016, but the one everyone will remember is the Aggies' 36-33 overtime victory in the 1998 Big 12 championship game.

Kansas State football picks up Pop-Tarts Bowl nod from Fox Sports

Fox Sports' Bryan Fischer has Kansas State (8-4) headed to the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando to face Notre Dame (9-3), though his projection differs from Brett McMurphy of Action Network in that he does not have Oklahoma crashing the New Year's Six lineup, but instead going to the Alamo Bowl.

That means the Pop-Tarts Bowl would have to choose K-State over Oklahoma State (9-4), which would make sense since the Cowboys already have been there twice recently, in 2017 and 2020.

Kansas State football falls to Liberty Bowl in Sporting News projection

In Sporting News national writer Bill Bender's latest projections, Oklahoma does not claim a New Year's Six spot, which directly affects Kanas State's standing in the Big 12 bowl pecking order.

According to Bender, the Wildcats drop all the way to the Liberty Bowl, after Oklahoma fills the Alamo Bowl Slot in San Antonio, the Pop-Tarts Bowl grabs Oklahoma State and the Texas Bowl invites Kansas. That leaves K-State to take on Kentucky in Memphis.

Kansas State football projected for Pop-Tarts Bowl, according to Brett McMurphy

In his latest bowl projections Saturday night, Action Network college football reporter Brett McMurphy has Kansas State headed to the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Florida, to take on Notre Dame (9-3). It would be the Wildcats' first-ever bowl trip to Texas.

McMurphy's projections have Texas making the College Football Playoffs and Oklahoma slotting into the New Year's Six picture in the Cotton Bowl, allowing the Alamo Bowl to grab Oklahoma State. Oklahoma State was believed to be K-State's greatest competition for the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State football bowl game: projections, updates on selection day