25 years ago on this day, the #1-ranked Kansas State football team was nearly 10 minutes away from advancing to play in the inaugural BCS national championship game.
It was on this day in 1998, the Big 12 Conference championship game was played in St. Louis, featuring K-State vs. Texas A&M; the Wildcats were atop the coaches poll with a record of 11-0, while the Aggies were #8 in the BCS standings.
Kansas State was a 17½-point favorite in this game, and the Wildcats had a 27-12 lead with 10 minutes to play in the game.
K-State did not score a touchdown after the third quarter; meanwhile, the Aggies found the end zone three times: twice in the final 10 minutes of regulation, then again on the final play of the game, for a 36-33 win in double overtime.
Texas A&M outscored Kansas State 15-0 in the fourth quarter.
"It's a sick feeling," said K-State quarterback Michael Bishop, whose late fumble in regulation led to the score for the Aggies that forced overtime. "It's a terrible situation."
Bishop completed a 55-yard Hail Mary pass with time running out in regulation, but the receiver was tacked two yards short of the goal line and the game went into overtime.
"This may be, in their young lives, the most difficult thing they've had to handle," Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. "The pain that comes from this is obvious."
If Kansas State had won the game, the Wildcats would have faced Tennessee in the Fiesta Bowl; it would have been a matchup of undefeated teams in the first-ever BCS national championship game.