Kansas State Officially Eliminated From Big 12 Title Game After Arizona State Win
Arizona State knocked off BYU Saturday, which knocked out Kansas State of Big 12 title contention.
The Wildcats only had a small of making it but the hopes would have been kept alive with a Sun Devils loss. They even got help from rival Kansas knocking off Colorado.
Here's the game preview for tonight against Cincinnati:
Game time: 7 pm., CT
Where: Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan, Kan.
TV: ESPN2 / WatchESPN (link here)
Betting line: Wildcats -9.5
VITALS: Kansas State attempts to wrap up its home schedule on a high note when it faces the Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday night in Week 13. The Wildcats were eliminated from the AP Top 25 and College Football Playoff rankings earlier this week, as they no longer control their destiny despite being bowl-eligible with a 7-3 (4-3 Big 12) record.
Coach Chris Klieman has dealt with a personal matter for much of the season. When speaking to the media Monday, he closed the book on rumors of him potentially retiring.
He added he wishes he could have done a better on-field job, especially given the fact the Wildcats were in Big 12 title contention two weeks ago prior to back-to-back losses against Houston and Arizona State.
"I’m just hurting for those kids,” Klieman said. “It’s been a really, really, hard two weeks for me and I feel awful for those older guys that have my back. Like I told them, I let them down. It’s been rough.”
Klieman confirmed quarterback Avery Johnson would remain the starter for the rest of the season despite a slight decline in accuracy and turnover margin.
Meanwhile, the Bearcats need one win to become bowl-eligible. They are 5-5 (3-4 Big 12). They have lost their last three games, knocking them out of conference title contention, most recently falling to Iowa State, 34-17, last week.
It is the teams' first meeting since 1996, as Cincinnati holds a 4-2 edge in the all-time series.
QUOTABLE
Chris Klieman on the senior class: "These seniors, especially these six-year guys that came in with me when I started, and the fifth-year guys that have been around us for a long time, I want to make sure that those guys have an opportunity to go out well and go out successfully."
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com
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