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It’s been a long, long month since the boys in purple have donned their armor and set off to the field. Tonight, our 2017 comes to a conclusion with a chance to end on the right foot... and get some revenge, too.
The game
Kansas State (7-5, 5-4 Big 12) faces the UCLA Bruins (6-6, 4-5 Pac 12) in the Cactus Bowl. This is K-State’s fourth trip to the bowl, but the bowl has been known by a different moniker each of the four times: the 1993 Copper Bowl, the 2001 Insight.com Bowl, and the 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. K-State is 2-1 in the bowl, beating Wyoming in 1993 and Michigan in 2013, but losing to Syracuse in 2001.
It’s also K-State’s second trip to a bowl game against UCLA, having previously lost 40-35 in the Alamo Bowl after the 2014 season. It’s the fourth meeting all-time, with the schools splitting a home-and-home series in 2009 and 2010 prior to that Alamo Bowl meeting.
UCLA is under the watchful eye of interim head coach Jedd Fisch, who’s minding the store following the firing of Jim Mora; he’ll turn over the reins to Chip Kelly following the bowl game. It will be Fisch’s second game as a head coach, after having led UCLA to their season-concluding 30-27 win over California on November 24.
The Bruins will be without the services of starting quarterback Josh Rosen tonight. Rosen suffered a concussion in the win over Cal, and was not cleared to play heading into the trip to Arizona.
Odds
With Rosen officially being ruled out, K-State opened up a 6½-point edge in the betting line after opening as a 2½-point favorite. The over is 61.5, indicating a 34-27 or 35-28 win for the Cats. OddsShark is very slightly more optimistic toward the Cats, projecting a 33-25 win, and suggests taking the under.
Kickoff
Tuesday, December 26 at 8:00pm CT, Chase Field (40,000) in Phoenix, Arizona.
Tickets
Oh, you’re in Phoenix without tickets? Scattered tickets are available for you on the secondary market! Remember that this is a baseball stadium, so locations are weird.
Prices run the gamut from $21-$46 for seats in the upper deck, around $50 for infield box seats at one end zone, $55-$75 for infield seats along the K-State sideline, and $78-$168 if you’re into those snazzy club seats.
Speaking more generally, the median price for tickets is about $60.
Television
ESPN with Jason Benetti, Jordan Rodgers, and Olivia Harlan.
Radio
K-State Sports Network, with Wyatt Thompson, Stan Weber, and Matt Walters. We’re not 100% sure, but it’s likely this broadcast will only be available on KMAN as ESPN Radio holds the rights to the game. That broadcast, on selected ESPN Radio affiliates and on Sirius/XM channel 80, will feature Mark Kestecher and Tom Ramsey. If you’re in Los Angeles, you can catch the UCLA call with Josh Lewin, Matt Stevens, and Wayne Cook on KEIB 1150 AM.
Online
Video streaming via ESPN3. Audio streaming via K-State Sports and via the TuneIn app. Live stats... you’re probably stuck with the GameCast on ESPN.