Kansas State did not finish the regular season the way it wanted to. Not by a long shot. In the thick of the Big 12 race — potentially the College Football Playoff — heading into the final month, the Wildcats stumbled to three losses in their final four games.

SportsLine's model revealed its college football picks for Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Kansas State Wildcats in the Rate Bowl 2024 on Thursday

An offense that was humming along under first-year coordinator Conor Riley ran out of gas. That is a big reason why K-State fell out of playoff contention and is now preparing to play Rutgers in the Rate Bowl at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday at Chase Field in Phoenix.