It’s the most wonderful time of the year… football season! Sorry to all the Christmas fans out there.
The college football season kicked off Aug. 23 with Farmageddon, the nickname for the rivalry between Kansas State University and Iowa State University.
While other teams were facing off against nonconference opponents on American soil, K-State and ISU squared off at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, over 3,000 miles away from the United States. Iowa State was the lucky team and came out on top 24-21.
Playing this game in Ireland added unnecessary stress to the players and may have contributed to why K-State lost.
What is the reason for shipping out nationally ranked teams to play on a continent where American football isn’t popular? Why introduce the stress of international travel on a game that could have massive implications later in the season?
K-State, ranked 17th nationally, was picked to finish first in the Big 12 Conference standings whereas Iowa State was ranked 22nd nationally and was picked to finish sixth in the conference according to ESPN.
K-State’s loss could be the difference between a spot in the Big 12 Championship game or a spot in the College Football Playoff.
For the conference championship, the two teams with the best win/loss record against the other teams in their conference will play for the title.
A team’s overall record heavily determines if they earn a spot in the 12-team CFP bracket. K-State’s loss has put them at an automatic disadvantage compared to other teams in the country.
Most competitive athletes know how the location of a game can be a factor in determining how the game plays out, and in college sports, traveling to those locations can affect a player’s mental focus and energy levels.
When I played basketball in high school, I was tired and unmotivated after a 30-minute bus ride across town, so I can only imagine what a seven-hour flight across the Atlantic Ocean and having to acclimate to a foreign country would do to me.
The weather conditions weren’t ideal in Dublin as it rained for the majority of the first half. Each team turned the ball over twice on fumbles because of the rain, and ISU’s punter had to use a towel from the team’s hotel to keep his hands dry so he could catch the ball.
The rain was so influential that the painted lines on the field were washed away and barely visible, leading to both teams requesting that they be repainted during halftime.
“But!” I hear you say, “Travel and weather are just things athletes have to deal with. Why does it matter?”
It matters because this combo of factors was uncommon compared to every other game from that day, and it arguably had a direct effect on the outcome. A trip to a neighboring state for a football game is way easier than a trip to a whole new continent, especially when nearly half the players had to acquire passports to travel.
Additionally, a major conference matchup against a nationally ranked team is easier when you have at least a game or two of experience under your belt.
In a game like football, where mistakes can be costly and experience is a requirement for success, there’s no reason to ship two teams across the pond this early in the season when the teams are still working out the kinks.
