After being ranked No. 14 in the final College Football Playoff rankings, UCLA (9-3) will play No. 11 Kansas State (9-3) in the Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on Jan. 2.
Normally featuring the No. 2 Pac-12 team, the Alamo Bowl is the top bowl required to include a Pac-12 team starting this season, given the Rose Bowl’s inclusion in the College Football Playoffs. However, since No. 2 Oregon made the playoffs and No. 10 Arizona was selected for the VIZIO Fiesta Bowl, UCLA – the No. 3 Pac-12 team – was selected for the Alamo Bowl.
In four matchups this season against teams ranked at the time, Kansas State went 1-3, losing to then-No. 5 Auburn, then-No. 6 TCU and and then-No. 6 Baylor, but narrowly beating then-No. 11 Oklahoma. UCLA, meanwhile, is 3-1 against ranked opponents this year.
The Bruins and Wildcats have faced each other just twice in both programs’ history with UCLA winning 23-9 in 2009 and Kansas State winning 31-22 in 2010.
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.