Kansas State and Iowa State decided bowling is best left to Pete Weber, kids birthday parties and recreational beer leagues.
OK, that’s not the same sport.
But the Kansas State and Iowa State college football programs opted not to accept invitations to bowl games and thus were fined $500,000 apiece by the Big 12.
The commonality between the two programs is that each just lost its head coach.
Iowa State (8-4) lost Matt Campbell to Penn State and replaced him with former Washington State coach Jimmy Rogers.
Kansas State lost Chris Klieman to retirement and hired Texas A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein, an alumnus and former quarterback.
“While the Conference acknowledges the difficult timing around coaching changes, the Big 12 is responsible for fulfilling its contractual obligations to its bowl partners,” the conference said in a statement.
Iowa State said its decision was made by the players.
“The administrative staff and coaches respect and support the players’ decision,” Cyclones athletic director Jamie Pollard said in a statement. “Our student-athletes have had an incredible season and we are grateful for their leadership as we worked through this process with them today.”
Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor — who ripped the NCAA’s pay-for-play model after Klieman retired — said he made the decision to withdraw after speaking with the football team’s leadership council.
The opening games of the 2025 College Football Playoff:
Round 1
- No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma on Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. ET
- No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M on Dec. 20 at 12 p.m. ET
- No. 11 Tulane at No 6 Ole Miss on Dec. 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET
- No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon on Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Quarterfinals
- No. 10 Miami/No. 7 Texas A&M vs No. 2 Ohio State at Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- No. 12 James Madison/No. 5 Oregon vs No. 4 Texas Tech on Jan. 1 at 12 p.m. ET
- No. 9 Alabama/No. 8 Oklahoma vs No. 1 Indiana on Jan. 1 at 4 p.m. ET
- No. 11 Tulane/No. 6 Ole Miss vs No. 3 Georgia on Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. ET
“This decision was not taken lightly, but with our coaching staff transition and several uncertainties regarding player availability, I felt it was not in our best interest to try to field a team that was not representative of Kansas State University,” Taylor said in a statement. “We applaud this group for fighting back from a 2-4 record to lead us to bowl eligibility yet again, and we are happy that our seniors were able to go out on top with a victory inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium.”
Fellow Big 12 team, Baylor, also chose not to participate in a bowl game.
“We have declined the opportunity to play in a Bowl, as we’ve already progressed deeply into the offseason timeline of preparation for the 2026 season,” the school said in a statement.
That trio is joined by Notre Dame in sitting out a bowl.
The Fighting Irish don’t have a conference to issue a fine, though that might actually be one of the reasons that they were left out of the College Football Playoff. After the snub, Notre Dame (10-2) decided as a team not to join a second-tier bowl.
The College Football Playoff rankings are a “farce and total waste of time,” athletic director Pete Bevacqua told ESPN.
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