Kansas State isn't bowl-eligible yet, as it still has a Saturday afternoon matchup against Colorado to contend for a game past November.
But many anticipate a dominant victory over the Buffaloes to catapult the Wildcats to six wins, so the bowl predictions are already starting to kick in. ESPN's Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach dropped their projections for where Kansas State will be next month.
BONAGURA'S PREDICTION:
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl vs. Navy
Location: Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas) @ 1 p.m. EST
SCHLABACH'S PREDICTION:
Rate Bowl vs. Minnesota
Location: Chase Field (Phoenix) @ 4:30 p.m. EST
In addition to bowl eligibility, Kansas State has plenty of motivation for its last regular-season game this weekend. Wildcats coach Chris Klieman talked about sending the seniors off on a positive note at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
“Whether you have postseason football, it’s still the last opportunity they have to play at home,” Klieman said in his Colorado pregame press conference. “So it’s an emotional time, and there’s a handful of guys we have here that chose us in their last year. I appreciate the guys who came into our program, bought in, and made it through the season. And then there are the kids who have been here for 7, 6, 5, and 4 years. In today’s day and age, there are a lot of easy opportunities to go somewhere else, especially when you have your degree.”
For players like quarterback Avery Johnson, it's about getting this win for his head coach, especially after their heartbreaker against Utah last week.
"It’s hard, just because you know how good a person Coach Klieman is, and everything he does for the program," Johnson said in his Utah postgame interview. "Us not being able to have the season we wanted to have and get the wins that we wanted to get is tough. You wanna be able to win for your coach, and win a bunch of games just because of how good a person Coach Klieman is. It just feels like we come up short for him sometimes."
KANSAS STATE BOLSTERS 2026 CLASS WITH THREE-STAR RECEIVER
Kansas State picked up another three-star recruit to bolster its 2026 class roster.
Derrick Salley Jr., a wide receiver from Summerville, SC, decommitted from Minnesota and locked in with Kansas State instead.
"NEW SCHOOL NEW NUMBER MY RECRUITMENT IS 100% SHUTDOWN," Salley tweeted Tuesday night.
Salley is coming out of Hutchinson Community College, recording 60 receptions for 1,043 yards and 17 touchdowns over the last two seasons. He also received offers from Boise State, Florida A&M, and Coastal Carolina. Hopefully, he can help boost the receiving depth behind star Jayce Brown.