Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE
A week after K-State’s humbling loss to Baylor, the shock of how far the team has tumbled has yet to wear off. Due to a pair of upsets that happened that weekend and a pair of upsets that didn’t this week, the Big 12 may be relegated to only one BCS representative this year. Kansas State currently sits at number six in the standings with a home game against Texas remaining. Should the Wildcats win, they become the conference champions and are virtually guaranteed a spot in the Fiesta Bowl. Alternatively, an Oklahoma loss would also give K-State a BCS nod.
While no one knows what to expect of K-State following their head scratcher against Baylor, Oklahoma may be primed for an upset. The Sooners must travel to Fort Worth and play an extremely stingy TCU defense. While Oklahoma needed overtime to defeat Oklahoma State on Saturday, TCU handled Texas 20-13 on Thanksgiving night in a game that didn’t look as close as the score indicates. There’s no guarantee Oklahoma finishes the regular season with a victory.
The key for Kansas State is the head-to-head win over Oklahoma earlier this year. The two teams sit at 7-1 in conference play and although matching records of 7-2 or 8-1 would technically make the teams co-Big 12 champions, the Wildcats would get the BCS nod by virtue of their head-to-head win. However, a loss by K-State could easily send them tumbling to the Cotton Bowl. Several teams are ready to overtake a Wildcat team finishing the season with two straight losses. Additionally, it looks very likely that a BCS buster will make an appearance this year. The Mid-American Conference has two teams ranked in the BCS standings; Kent State is 17th in and Northern Illinois is 21st. A 16th place finish will automatically qualify a non-BCS school for a BCS game, and the Golden Flashes would be very likely to climb at least one spot if they win the MAC championship (Kent State and North Illinois play for the conference title on Friday night). Such a scenario could push K-State out of a big money bowl.
There’s still some important football yet to be played. As long as the Wildcats continue their ownage of Texas the Wildcats will be fine. Odds are still in favor of a Fiesta Bowl invitation. Adding intrigue to that game will be Kansas State’s expected opponent, Oregon – the team most of the country expected to play K-State in the national championship only two weeks ago.