Were Kansas State Wildcats Better Off Skipping Bowl Game Last Year?

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At first, it appeared the Kansas State Wildcats were dealing with sour grapes when they declined last year's bowl game berth. 

But it appears they had greater reason to skip. Quarterback Avery Johnson explained why many players, especially those who had already committed to returning to the program, passed on the postseason game. The Wildcats were fined $500,000 at first but it was eventually cut in half. 

Johnson spoke about it during Big 12 Media Day this week in Frisco, Texas. 

"I didn't want to play in a game where people didn't want to give it their all," Johnson said. "I think it kind of got to the point where we didn't have enough players on our roster to even play in the game. It wasn't even up for consideration." 

The Wildcats were in a different situation than most teams that have turned down postseason invites. They were in the middle of undergoing major changes when then-coach Chris Klieman unexpectedly resigned after last season. 

They hired Collin Klein in December but he was still handling his duties as the Texas A & M offensive coordinator. It made even more sense because the Wildcats were coming off a disappointing 6-6 season and many players were contemplating if they were going to enter the transfer portal. 

Johnson felt it would have been a waste of time due to many of the players having limited interest. 

"My thing is if we didn't have guys bought in, we had guys already halfway in, halfway out and wanting to transfer," Johnson said. "It wasn't like we were going to play in a New Year's Six bowl that really had a lot of meaning to it." 

This season, the Wildcats hope to regain a spot in the top-tier in the Big 12 Conference. Big things are expected under the direction of Klein, who was a star quarterback for the Wildcats in the early 2010s. He was considered among the nation's hottest coaching commodities before returning to Manhattan. 

MORE K-STATE NEWS 

Collin Klein has a strong message for incoming players 

Are Collin Klein and Avery Johnson already on same page? 

Avery Johnson reacts to Dylan Edwards' departure to KU 

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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of KStateRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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