Kansas State Big 12, College Football Playoff Hopes End With Loss To Arizona State

Nov 16, 2024; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats wide receiver Tre Spivey (12) is tackled by Arizona State Sun Devils defensive back Javan Robinson (12) during the fourth quarter at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images | Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

A few weeks ago, the Kansas State Wildcats were in control of their destiny.

Now, they no longer have to worry about it.

The Wildcats fell 24-14 to Arizona State Saturday, ending their Big 12 championship and College Football Playoff hopes.

“I told the guys, “I'm going to take ownership of this on my own,'” Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said. ”The whole program is on me. I didn't do a good enough job with the game plan. I didn't do a good enough job with the players."

The Wildcats entered the game needing to win the remainder of their games and a Colorado loss to keep hope alive. The Buffaloes defeated Utah to keep rolling. Now, Kansas State has two games left but expected to play in a low-tier bowl despite the high expectations.

This was the second straight poor game for the Wildcats. Two weeks ago, they led Houston by nine points in the fourth quarter before being outscored by two touchdowns. On Saturday, they fell behind 21-0 before finally awakening in the second half but it was too late.

“Everybody keeps saying, 'Oh, there's a reason they're winning and it's not because they're good,'” ASU coach Kenny Dillingham said. “That has to bother you. This is the first week I really dove into that. I was pulling things out to show the guys for motivation this week. We really dove into people not believing in the football team, and not believing in the guys, and I think they responded."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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