In exactly one month, Kansas State will face Iowa State in a football game unlike any other we have previously seen in their Farmageddon rivalry.
They will play in August instead of November. And, more importantly, they will play in Dublin, Ireland, instead of traditional on-campus stadiums in Big 12 country.
Those changes have created a great deal of excitement for this annual gridiron clash, but they have also created many headaches for both teams.
“In terms of all the support staff we will need and sports science and nutrition stuff for the game,” K-State football coach Chris Klieman said, “we have been planning that for 16 months now.”
Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell isn’t far behind.
“It’s been a great challenge,” Campbell said, “for our staff to sit together and really kind of trouble shoot this from a multitude of different angles.”
Over the past few years, the Aer Lingus College Football Classic has become a Week 0 staple on the sports calendar as the first big game of the season. But nobody has written a manual for teams to follow when it comes to starting the season overseas with a high-stakes game.
The last six teams that have played in Ireland (Georgia Tech, Florida State, Navy, Notre Dame, Nebraska and Northwestern) have combined to go 29-45 over the past three years. Getting ready for this game is a unique challenge. But so is winning games later on the schedule.
Only two of the aforementioned teams were able to post winning records after traveling to Ireland.
A quick rundown of all six teams ... * Georgia Tech (2024): 7-6 * Florida State (2024): 2-10 * Navy (2023): 5-7 * Notre Dame (2023): 10-3 * Nebraska (2023): 4-8 * Northwestern (2023): 1-11 “I don’t know if anybody has really handled it very well, whether they won or lost the game,” Campbell said. “I think they’ve all had some tougher moments after that game.”
After reviewing past results, both Campbell and Klieman opted to return home and play an FCS opponent the following week, rather than seek extra time off.
Georgia Tech and Notre Dame were both able to reach bowl games with that strategy. Northwestern had the worst record of the bunch with a week off.
But that was just one decision to be made after K-State and Iowa State agreed to move their game overseas.
Klieman opted to hold just 10 spring practices instead of 15. He also started preseason training camp earlier than ever before. Beyond that, both teams have preached the importance of sleep, nutrition and recovery with their players.
Focus might be the most important thing of all.
“The benefit of this game is we’re going to have an experience of a lifetime going over to Ireland,” Klieman said. “But we’ve got to realize it’s not a bowl game. I have got to get that across quickly. This isn’t a bowl game, where we get a month off afterwards. We’re flying back the next morning, and we’re going to work because we’ve got a game the next week.”
To that end, K-State players said they have already met with sleep specialists who will try to help them rest on the flight from Manhattan to Dublin.
“I’m really excited for the game, but I’m not looking forward to the trip,” K-State quarterback Avery Johnson said. “I don’t like being on planes and in tight spaces for a long period of time. So the plane ride there and back is going to (stink). We’re all going to be sore. But I’ve taken some notes on it. I’m going to try and sleep through it and be ready to play Week 0 and Week 1.”
Others said nutritionists have already stressed the importance of setting a strict eating schedule ahead of the game.
Crossing time zones is no excuse to skip meals or to eat something that won’t help prepare you for game day.
“We have talked about what we need to eat on the plane ride over,” K-State offensive lineman Taylor Poitier said. “And then what we should eat after we land. Nutrition has been a big topic for that game.”
The Wildcats have also sent staffers to Dublin map out the area and get familiar with the stadium.
Klieman isn’t stressing out about the logistics of this Ireland game, because both teams are dealing with the same challenges. But it has made his to-do list much longer than usual.
He also knows that winning the preparation battle for this trip could help K-State come home with a victory. No wonder he has been working on it for 16 months.
