MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State Nation is heading back to the Valley of the Sun, as Kansas State officials announced Sunday afternoon that the Wildcats have accepted an invitation to play Rutgers in the Rate Bowl inside Chase Field – home of MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks – in Phoenix, Arizona.
The game, which is the only bowl matchup between members of the Big 12 and Big Ten Conferences, will take place on Thursday, December 26 at 4:30 p.m. (CT) and air on ESPN.This is the 19th time overall and the eighth time for a bowl game that the Wildcats will play in the state of Arizona.
It is the fifth time K-State will play in what is now known as the Rate Bowl as it also played in the game in 1993 (known as Copper Bowl and played in Tucson, Arizona), 2001 (Insight.com Bowl), 2013 (Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl) and 2017 (Cactus Bowl).
"We are excited to spend the holidays in Arizona and represent the Big 12 and our University in the Rate Bowl," said K-State head coach Chris Klieman, the first head coach in school history to lead his team to five bowl games in his first six seasons. "The staff at the Fiesta Bowl runs a first-class operation, and I know our players and coaches are looking forward to the trip and the extra work on the field, which is critical to our continued development as a program."K-State finished with an 8-4 regular-season record in 2024, marking the fourth-straight season the Wildcats have won at least eight games.
The Wildcats are one of just nine Power 4 teams to win at least eight games in each of the last four seasons, joining Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Notre Dame, Clemson, Ole Miss, Oregon and Ohio State. The Wildcats have been among the nation's leaders in bowl appearances since 1993 as the Wildcats are tied for 16th nationally and rank second in the Big 12 with 25. K-State will also be one of just 15 Power 4 teams to play in a bowl game at least 13 times in the last 15 years.
"We would like to thank Erik Moses and his staff for welcoming K-State Nation to the Phoenix area," said Athletics Director Gene Taylor. "It is good to be heading back to Arizona, and this will be a memorable week for our fans and program. We look forward to an exciting holiday experience."
Kansas State opened the 2024 campaign with a 7-1 record with wins over a pair of teams ranked No. 20 at the time in Arizona (31-7) and Oklahoma State (42-20), and the Wildcats were the only team this season to win at Colorado, a team that finished 23rd in the final College Football Playoff Top 25.
Kansas State also retained the Governor's Cup with its 16th-straight win over Kansas, tied for the longest active uninterrupted winning streak in the nation. The Wildcats will be looking to right the ship from a 1-3 mark in November as they lost at Houston and to each of the Big 12 Championship Game participants, Arizona State and Iowa State.K-State and Rutgers will meet for just the second time ever, and both matchups will be in bowl games, as the Scarlet Knights earned a 37-10 win over the Wildcats in the inaugural Texas Bowl in 2006.
This is the fifth time in school history that Kansas State will face a Big Ten team in a bowl game with the last being a 31-14 victory over Michigan in the 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, which was also the last time overall that the Wildcats faced a Big Ten foe.Rutgers finished the regular season with a 7-5 overall record and a 4-5 mark in conference action to tie for ninth place in the Big Ten. After starting the season 4-0 with wins over Howard, Akron, at Virginia Tech and against Washington, RU lost each of its next four games. However, Rutgers went 3-1 in November with wins over Minnesota, Maryland and Michigan State.The Scarlett Knights are playing in a bowl game for the 13th time in school history and third time in the last four years.
They lost to Wake Forest in the 2021 Gator Bowl and defeated Miami in last year's Pinstripe Bowl.Tickets in the official K-State sections are available now online at www.kstatesports.com/bowlgame and via phone beginning at 8:30 a.m. Monday. Remaining tickets in the official K-State sections are priced by the bowl between $35 and $160. Tickets in some sections were sold out through pre-orders.
All Ahearn Fund members and fans who pre-ordered tickets will receive communication with information regarding their requests by the end of the day.The K-State Alumni Association will also provide official travel packages to the bowl game.
Visit the Alumni Association's official bowl travel page – www.k-statesportstours.com – for travel package information.– k-statesports.com –How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Football, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.