Wildcats in the CFP? Athlon Projects Kansas State to Earn Big 12 Auto-Bid

In the first official 12-team College Football Playoff projection of the 2025 season, Athlon Sports boldly tabbed the Kansas State Wildcats to land the final first-round bye and an automatic bid as the Big 12 champ.

Their bracket, released on June 20, positions Kansas State at No. 4 overall, slotting them into the Rose Bowl behind Penn State (No. 2 seed) and Clemson (No. 3).

According to Athlon’s playoff bracket, Kansas State would head to the Rose Bowl as part of the top four, with Penn State (No. 2) and Clemson (No. 3) also securing byes. The pick places K-State above several traditional heavyweights and cements them as a national contender heading into the season.

This move echoes the growing buzz around Chris Klieman’s program, which returns a solid core and finds itself near the top of nearly every early Big 12 preview. Athlon ranked the Wildcats No. 13 nationally and named them the top team in the conference.

In their anonymous coaches’ feature, multiple Big 12 staffers identified Kansas State as the most complete team in the league, specifically citing its offensive consistency and physicality in the trenches.

The shifting landscape of the Big 12 further boosts Kansas State’s candidacy. With Oklahoma and Texas off to the SEC, the path to the conference crown and an automatic College Football Playoff bid is as open as it’s been in over a decade.

The Wildcats are well-positioned to take advantage, especially with veteran leadership at quarterback and continuity on both sides of the ball.

Under the expanded structure, the top six conference champions receive automatic bids, with the top four getting first-round byes. As the No. 4 seed, K-State would head straight to a New Year’s Six bowl site, in this case, the Rose Bowl, and await the winner of a first-round game.

For now, it’s just a preseason projection. But Athlon’s pick carries real weight. The Wildcats aren’t a fluke; they’re a product of long-term development under Chris Klieman, who has firmly established Kansas State as one of the most reliable and physical teams in the new-look Big 12.

Kansas State still has to prove it on the field. Key matchups with teams like Utah, Iowa State, and Texas Tech loom large, and depth will be tested over a long season. But if K-State can navigate the conference gauntlet, this might be the year they take the next step, from contender to playoff mainstay.