Well, it was fun while it lasted. Nothing went today the way it needed to for Kansas State to reach the Big 12 Championship Game this season, but that was the story of the season. Close, but not quite there – the same team that beat Colorado on the road couldn’t beat Houston.

But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing left to play. A Wildcats victory today over Iowa State in FARMAGEDDON gives K-State its third straight season with at least nine wins – the best run for the Wildcats since the beginning of the decade of dominance with eight straight seasons of nine or more wins. A win also prevents the Cyclones from posting their fourth nine-win season, at least until the bowl game. No, the Cyclones have never won more than nine games in a season.

There is also the possibility of avenging last season’s defeat. Last time out in Manhattan, these two teams played a sloppy snow game with strangely high scores. A game Iowa State won 42-35 on Senior Night in Manhattan because the K-State defense was unable to stop simple running plays. Hopefully that won’t be a problem tonight as it should be a cold but clear night in Ames.

Iowa State is the home favorite tonight, but only at the minimum the oddsmakers are giving the home team. This means that most people think of this as a toss-up game, and that’s exactly how it feels. Expect a close, hard-fought game that should go right to the end. Whoever can make the fewest mistakes is likely to win, and that is usually in favor of the home team.

However, K-State should win this game. K-State has to win this game. But don’t be surprised if the Cyclones do this at home.

We have a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff for tonight’s game at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, and you can watch the action on FOX (or online at FoxSports.com) with Connor Onion (play-by-play) and Mark Helfrich (analyst) on the call.

If you don’t have FOX or can’t access the stream, you can catch the game on the 28-channel K-State Sports Network with Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play), former K-State quarterback Stan Weber (analyst) listen) and Matt Walters (sideline), who orders the action. The game will also be shown on SiriusXM Satellite Radio Ch. 388 and available online at K-Statesports.com. Live stats will also be available on k-statesports.com and social media updates (@KStateFB) will also be part of the coverage.

Come on, cats!