Oklahoma State Football

Iowa State and Kansas State Both Opt Out of Bowl Games and Get Fined for It

Right after coaching changes on the verge of Selection Sunday, Iowa State and Kansas State have opted not to play in bowl games. The Big 12 has fined each school.
December 7, 2025
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STILLWATER – Oklahoma State played both Iowa State and Kansas State in the final month of the season and had close calls with each. That might have been a sign of the uncertainty as Iowa State only managed a 20-13 win in the season finale. Kansas State came into Stillwater in mid November and was able to crawl out with a 14-6 win. 

At the end of the season, K-State head coach Chris Klieman, who seemed to struggle with his emotions at the end of the season, resigned and Iowa State lost longtime head coach Matt Campbell to Penn State. Both schools opted to not take the extra practice time and move on with their new head coaches. 

Kansas State hired former quarterback and assistant Collin Klein, but he will be coordinating the offense for Texas A&M in the playoffs. Iowa State hired Jimmy Rogers from Washington State, who had done so well at South Dakota State and won an FCS National Championship. Rogers went 6-6 at Washington State in his first year there.

"Jimmy Rogers is a rising star in college athletics who has very strong ties to the Midwest both as a player and as a coach," Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard said in a statement. "He has been on my short-list ever since the first time I met him. He immediately impressed me with his interest in Iowa State University and told me during our first visit several years ago that he wanted to be the next head coach at Iowa State.”

The fine that the Cyclones and Kansas State is steep as the Big 12 will lose money from the bowl bids declined.

The Big 12 Conference is issuing a $500,000 institutional fine to Iowa State and Kansas State for opting out of their participation in the Conference's bowl pool was part of the release from the conference office and commissioner Brett Yormark.

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 Big 12 considers the matter resolved and will have no further comment.

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Iowa State and Kansas State Both Opt Out of Bowl Games and Get Fined for It

1,701 Views | 4 Replies | Last: 8 days ago by RodeoPoke
RodeoPoke
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I wonder why Baylor, Kansas and UCF were not fined by the B12....

as we all knew when the silly playoffs were created, this would ultimately be the end of the college football bowl games - already many, many teams are declining to play in bowls, players opt to not play in bowls, fans no longer flock to bowls with fandom enthusiasm, and after another pathetic year of selection committee bias, the calls are getting louder and louder for another round of expansion to 16 teams. SIGH.

We all knew it was coming, we all knew it would destroy the college bowl experience, even those in denial harbored inklings of bowl game irrelevance claiming at that time "nobody cares are lower tier bowl games anyway". SIGH

Well, here we go.... say goodbye. Not only is the B12 not able to fulfill it's bowl obligations, you can forget the 6-6 criteria, now even teams with 5-7 records are not willing to play.

Georgia Southern finally gets Birmingham Bowl matchup after seven teams reject invite
Story by Karl Rasmussen

Bowl games just aren't what they used to be. That much is evident by the abundance of teams that have declined the opportunity to take part in a bowl game this season.

Notably, Notre Dame rejected the chance to take part in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against BYU after being snubbed from the College Football Playoff. The school issued a statement indicating its football season was over.

The Fighting Irish weren't the only team uninterested in participating in the postseason exhibitions, however. In fact, due to a handful of teams rejecting their bowl game opportunities, the NCAA was struggling to find an opponent for Georgia Southern in the Birmingham Bowl. Multiple sub-.500 schools were offered the chance to take on the Eagles in the bowl game, and at least seven teams with records of 57 were reported to have denied the invitation.

In the end, the eighth time was the charm. Georgia Southern was finally able to lock down an opponent after Appalachian State accepted the offer to take them on in the Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 29, according to Brett McMurphy of On3.

Among the teams to deny the advances from the Birmingham include Auburn, Baylor, Rutgers, Kansas, UCF, Baylor and Temple, per McMurphy. Appalachian State was willing and ready when asked to step up and play in the bowl game at the end of the month, so it will be given the opportunity.

With the introduction of the expanded College Football Playoff, as well as the transfer portal and other offseason changes, teams are less interested in playing in bowl games as opposed to getting a head start on their preparation for the upcoming season. More and more teams have been opting out of the postseason games, and it seems likely to be a trend that continues as the CFP expands further.

RodeoPoke
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are teams passing on the conference championship games going to be next?

"We felt like the way BYU performed in their championship game, a second loss to Texas Tech in a similar fashion, was worthy of Miami moving ahead of them in the rankings," Yurachek said.

BYU apparently made a mistake by choosing to play in the Big 12 game instead of standing on its body of work in the 12-game regular season.


(read more)
BYU torches CFP committee over Miami decision
Story by Jordan Sigler

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/byu-torches-cfp-committee-over-miami-decision/ar-AA1RUkEo?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=3b62ead23eff418fbc363afe5084c79e&ei=10
RodeoPoke
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Bowl officials asked FSU to save a bowl game and the Noles politely declined
Story by Kelvin Hunt

Florida State head football coach Mike Norvell said the Noles wouldn't play in a bowl game if they received an invitation after the loss to Florida in the regular-season finale. The Noles were among the teams with five wins who could have received a bowl invite because they had one of the highest APR scores.

Several teams have declined bowl invites, including Notre Dame, after dropping from among the final 12 in the College Football Playoffs.

Bowl officials reached out to FSU to see if they would change their minds, but the Noles stood firm on their decision not to play in a bowl game. It makes sense. FSU already has two players entering the transfer portal, and some can start preparing for the NFL Draft.

There could have been some benefits to playing in the bowl. FSU would have gotten 15 extra practices, which could have been good for player development. They could have received some money, and quarterback Kevin Sperry could have played in that game without losing his redshirt. It would have given us more to write about.

However, FSU defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain hasn't been retained, and FSU will likely see more coaching changes over the next couple of weeks. There was no sense in risking further embarrassment this season.

FSU also has to handle new structural changes in the back office and prepare for the transfer portal that will open in a few weeks. FSU fans anxiously wait to see what the changes will be and who they can attract from the transfer portal.
RodeoPoke
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Iowa is the bright light.... Iowa? What's the football world coming too?

Iowa football is bucking a growing trend in college football
Story by Jordan Underwood

The 2025 regular season in college football was chock-full of drama, especially surrounding the College Football Playoff (CFP) bracket.

Since the first rankings were released on November 4, there have been numerous questions about the criteria to make the field and what wins and losses actually matter.

The final CFP bracket was released on Sunday, December 8, with some notable additions and subtractions.

After getting housed by Georgia in the SEC title game, Alabama snuck into the field, alongside Miami, Tulane, and James Madison.

Some notable absences were Notre Dame, BYU, and Texas, causing Notre Dame to go full scortched earth on the post season.

After learning they did not make the field, the Fighting Irish opted out of any bowl game invitation they would receive, creating a domino effect in college football.

Since Notre Dame made the controversial decision, seven other programs have decided not to participate in bowl season, including Iowa rival Iowa State.

It has become a trend in college football for players with NFL aspirations to sit out bowl games, but as more schools decline invitations, a more alarming trend is emerging.

While it is each program's choice to accept a bid and each player's choice to play, the trend of opting out or sitting out will rarely be seen in Iowa City.

Every Hawkeye player and coach knows how important bowl games are to the program and the fans, and no one will opt out for their trip to Tampa.

According to the Des Moines Register's Chad Leistikow, Head Coach Kirk Ferentz announced that he is not aware of any players who will sit out of postseason play.

Ferentz also added that, "our entire roster is ready to roll."

Let's hope that Notre Dame did not start a trend that will lead to more programs and players opting out of bowl games.

This article was originally published on dearoldgold.com as Iowa Football is bucking a growing trend in college football.
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