Alabama Heading to Sugar Bowl to Face Kansas State

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, left, scrambles away from Auburn defensive end Marcus Bragg (98) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

No. 5 Alabama is headed to its 17th Sugar Bowl to face Big 12 champion Kansas State for the first time.

Alabama (10-2, SEC, No. 5 CFP) narrowly missed a bid to the four-team College Football Playoff this season because of losses at Tennessee and LSU on the last play of each game.

Kansas State (10-3, Big 12, No. 9 CFP) handed TCU its first loss this season in overtime at the Big 12 title game in Dallas. But TCU still qualified for the College Football Playoff. That left the Wildcats as the top available Big 12 squad for the Sugar Bowl.

While Alabama missed out on the playoffs, the Crimson Tide recorded its 43rd 10-win season this year, for the 15th straight year.

Kansas State has its 11th 10-win season in program history and its first since going 11-2 in 2012.

Alabama will be playing in its 76th bowl game (including BCS and CFP title games) in school history (45-27-3). Kansas State is playing in the Sugar Bowl for the first time, this will be its 24th bowl game in school history (10-13) and 11th in the last 13 years.

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