Big Ten college football postseason matchup. It's between Kansas State and Rutgers at Chase Field on Thursday.

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.

In addition to the matchup of K-State's offense against Rutgers' defense favoring the Wildcats, the battle on the other side of the ball is also favorable for Klieman's squad. Kansas State ranks No. 17 nationally in defensive success rate and limits opponents to only 21.9 points a contest.