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2026 will be the next weekend without college football.
That being said, the upcoming weekend will be free of the Big Ten and SEC.
The two oligarchs of college football are momentarily on the sidelines, so let’s appreciate what has grown to be a unique and lovely thing. In the sport’s season premiere, ESPN will feature a matchup between two of the top 25 teams from outside their guarded palaces. They will be the only ones in the college game with that time slot (and time zone).
On Saturday, Iowa State and Kansas State begin their journey from the stunning nation of Ireland. However, the only green the two sides will see is the 100 yards of turf at Dublin sAviva Stadium, which is home to the national football team of the Republic of Ireland.
For those who are new to Ireland this week, especially those who are from Kansas and Iowa and are around 4,000 miles away, that is soccer. In Dublin, American football is the game of the day on Saturdays. The Shamrock Rovers and the Bohemians have a rivalry that is nearly as old as the city’s football and soccer rivalries.
Since 1915, the Bohs and Rovers have been getting together. Only since 1917 have the Cyclones and Wildcats been at odds. Since then, they haven’t skipped a year in their Farmageddon series. Not even the Great Railroad Strike of 1922, nor for pandemics or world wars.
Unfortunately, the run will end in 2027 due to a more potent force than that. That is an expansion of a recent meeting. ISU-KSU is not one of the four protected rivals in the Big 12. Although it’s improbable in a conference with 16 teams, the two may play each other in the league title game.
Never bolt your door with a boiled carrot, as the Irish say. So let’s savor the now. At any rate, the present. If this is Ames, the distance to this game is roughly 3,900 miles.
Even though the Big Ten doesn’t begin playing until next Thursday, their influence was seen over the last week. First, Michigan was punished by the NCAA for engaging in what it described as a sophisticated and well-funded scheme to unlawfully take rival teams’ signs.
It focused on Connor Stallions, a former friend of Jim Harbaugh, who received a game ball following the Wolverines’ victory over Iowa in the 2022 Big Ten championship game.
Harbaugh was given a 10-year show-cause sentence, which would have been harsh if he hadn’t already left Michigan behind to take a lucrative job as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL.
The Big Ten swiftly created a distraction from one of its renowned football programs getting its reputation harmed, which is a tactic taken from the book of contemporary American politics. According to a story that was leaked, it is proposing that the College Football Playoff be expanded to include up to 28 teams.
According to reports, the Big Ten and SEC would receive two at-large slots, two automatic entry to five each from the Big 12 and ACC, and two from non-Power 4 league clubs. Just in case the two huge dogs need more than seven seats.
In any case, who wouldn’t be captivated by a November matchup between Washington and Maryland for the Big Ten’s sixth automatic postseason berth, with the loser having a strong chance to qualify for the CFP?
The 12-team event that the CFP introduced eight months ago appeared to be a hit format. The Big Ten naturally wants more and more.
In the name of more, more, more, Iowa will travel to New Jersey and Los Angeles for conference games this season, but they will not face Illinois or Northwestern.
For a week, the Big Ten and SEC will have to watch Iowa State and Kansas State without any other games during those three-plus hours. The winner of the game will leap ahead of some of the more powerful and wealthy clubs in the following rankings.
Of all, the emphasis on the Big 12 will only last for a short while, but Dublin will always be in the league. That is, until Europe is annexed by the SEC and the Big Ten.
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