‘Farmageddon’ could help decide Big 12 championship

“Farmageddon” has never been bigger.

The rivalry between No. 24 Kansas State and No. 18 Iowa State is one of the longest continuously played series in college football. The two schools have played each other every year since 1917, making this the 108th straight season and the eighth-longest uninterrupted active series in the FBS.

The Wildcats travel to Ames, Iowa, on Saturday with plenty on the line for both teams.

Kansas State still has a slim chance to reach the Big 12 Championship Game and a possible berth in the College Football Playoff. The Cyclones have an even better shot at the conference championship game.

K-State (8-3, 5-3 Big 12) is coming off a convincing 41-15 victory over Cincinnati. They need a win on Saturday and a combination of several other outcomes to make that league title game berth possible.

To reach the title game, Iowa State (9-2, 6-2) needs a little help. The Cyclones require a win and losses by two of the other three teams in the four-way tie at 6-2 in league play: Arizona State, BYU and Colorado.

“I’m really excited about this week, getting an opportunity to go play Iowa State,” Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said Monday. “It will be a great environment, a great atmosphere. The game has meaning.

“Going back and looking at film, I thought our guys played great in all phases. Getting off to a fast start was important.”

Kansas State fans are lamenting back-to-back losses earlier this month at Houston and at home to Arizona State. With just one of those going the Wildcats’ way, they would control their destiny. But Klieman and his team are proud of the stability the Cats have showed in winning at least eight games in each of the last four seasons.

“It’s hard to win college football games,” Klieman said. “It’s expected, and you want to win every game. (But) it’s difficult to win. The stability and success that our staff has brought here tells a lot about the players they have brought here and the men who are leading these guys.”

Iowa State has won four of the last six games in the series after stopping a 10-year Kansas State streak. Iowa State leads 53-50-4 in the all-time series.

Iowa State is looking to reach 10 wins for the first time in the program’s 133-year history. They’ve won nine games for the fourth time, but just the second time (1906) that they’ve done it prior to a bowl game. Amazingly, Iowa State last won a conference championship in 1912 when the Cyclones captured their second straight Missouri Valley title.

Now, the opportunity to change that stat is there for the taking. But head coach Matt Campbell is not looking past Kansas State. In fact, he said at his Tuesday press conference that he hasn’t even looked at the tiebreakers.

“That’s a question for a wise football coach,” he said. “I don’t have much wisdom for that one. All my belief is that if our football team takes care of us, then we will put ourselves in the best position to be successful. We’ll tell our story at the end of the season.”

–Field Level Media