Do Iowa State, Kansas need Big 12 expansion to return to bowl scene?

Now that the Big 12 has pumped the brakes on reinstating a championship game, there's another issue that requires adequate exploration: expansion.

The idea of bringing in another pair of teams is particularly appealing to conference bottom-dwellers Iowa State and Kansas, who have struggled with the Big 12's round-robin scheduling format.

"You'd have an unbalanced schedule," writes the Des Moines Register's Randy Peterson in a piece on the impact of a potential Big 12 expansion on Iowa State, "which is the only way Iowa State can even hope to be an annual bowl contender.

"I like the current 10-team setup. I like everyone playing everyone. But for Iowa State fans wanting to experience football beyond the regular season, it's not good."

As teams like TCU and Baylor have experienced a renaissance in their football programs, the competition in the Big 12 has become nearly unbearable for lesser teams like Iowa State and Kansas.

In the past two years, the teams have only won a collective two conference games that they didn't play against each other.

"Money distribution aside, the Big 12's current model is good for eight of the 10 football teams. It's not good for Iowa State and Kansas," Peterson writes. "Those guys need a break every so often—if reaching a bowl game is the bar."

The two will face each other for their conference opener in 2015. After that, it will be an uphill battle for both teams.

The Cyclones take on TCU after playing Kansas and Texas Tech, and the Jayhawks are slated to play Baylor after taking on Iowa State.

Iowa State hasn't played in a bowl game since 2012, while Kansas has experienced a six-year drought from postseason play.

Check out the two teams' 2015 Big 12 slates below:

Iowa State:
10/03—Kansas*
10/10—Texas Tech
10/17—TCU*
10/24—Baylor
10/31—Texas (homecoming)*
11/07—Oklahoma
11/14—Oklahoma State*
11/21—Kansas State
11/28—West Virginia

Kansas:
10/03—Iowa State
10/10—Baylor*
10/17—Texas Tech*
10/24—Oklahoma State
10/31—Oklahoma*
11/07—Texas
11/14—TCU
11/21—West Virginia*
11/28—Kansas State*

*denotes home game

(h/t Des Moines Register)