MANHATTAN — For Kansas State football, bowl eligibility should be seen as the bare minimum . This year, while it didn't look pretty at times for the Wildcats, they should reach their floor for what a successful season should look like.
Kansas State (4-5, 3-3 Big 12) enters its last three games in need of two wins to play in the postseason for the fifth-straight year and its sixth in seven years under Chris Klieman. With two of their last three games being against perhaps the two worst teams in the Big 12 , it would take something catastrophic for it not to happen.
The first of the two should-be-wins comes this week when the Wildcats visit Oklahoma State on Saturday, Nov. 15. Their second must-win will close the regular season out in Manhattan, when Deion Sanders and Colorado visit on Nov. 29.
The Wildcats visit No. 13 Utah in Salt Lake City on Nov. 22, one they won't be expected to win. When K-State was circled as a favorite to win the Big 12 before the season, the matchup between the Wildcats and the Utes was looked at as one that would be critical in the championship race.
But at least it looks like they're avoiding the embarrassment of being labeled a Big 12 favorite and missing a bowl entirely, right?
Oklahoma State parted ways with longtime coach Mike Gundy early this season, while the Cowboys still remain winless in Big 12 play since their 2023 regular-season finale. The Cowboys haven't played a close game since Sept. 19, when they lost to Tulsa and fired Gundy four days later. Against Power 4 opponents, the Cowboys are being outscored by an average of 33.8 points.
Colorado has lost five of its last six games, including its last three, which haven't been competitive. The Buffaloes clinched that they won't be bowl-eligible this year, and it's worth wondering how motivated they'll be the rest of the year. In addition, Sanders' documented health problems can make you wonder if the regular-season finale in Manhattan will be the last of his career.
Both should be wins for the Wildcats, who, despite the loss to College Football Playoff contender Texas Tech, are playing at a much higher level than they were early in the season.
If the Wildcats were to lose? We may have some difficult conversations over the final month, considering the current state of the Oklahoma State program and Colorado's poor performance, especially in the second half of the season. At this point, a loss to either should be looked at in the same way as the Sept. 6 loss to Army, when it almost felt like the sky was falling down.
Kansas State is in a good spot, and a bowl game is no small accomplishment considering how poorly the season started. However, if the Wildcats don't emerge with at least two wins, then something has gone really wrong.
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_ , contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State football in good position to make bowl game
