From Stewart Mandel's mailbag column today:
No. 17 Kansas State vs. No. 22 Iowa State in Dublin is the first Week 0 game between ranked opponents since 2000. It’s also potentially significant for the Big 12 title race. Yet it doesn’t feel like there has been much national attention on that game, with previews already looking ahead to Week 1 games like Texas at Ohio State. Is there a reason that game is under-the-radar nationally? — Aaron M.
We didn’t call it Week 0 back then, but you’re bringing back some great memories of those high-profile Kickoff/Pigskin/Eddie Robinson Classics.
The last “big” Week 0 game I remember was in 2004, No. 1 USC vs. Virginia Tech in Washington, D.C., when Reggie Bush caught three touchdown passes. Those games all went kaput the next year when the NCAA went to a permanent 12-game schedule, and Week 0 did not return until Cal-Hawaii in Australia in 2016, which helps explain the long drought.
To be blunt, the reason it’s flying under the radar is because it’s not a Big Ten or SEC game. K-State and Iowa State are good programs, but they are not big national brands. Outside of Colorado, there aren’t any in the Big 12 right now. I know in my head I’ve been thinking ahead to No. 1 Texas vs. No. 3 Ohio State myself. But come kickoff on Aug. 23, I’d imagine most college football fans will come to the realization that, wow, there’s a really good game on today.
In fact, I could have easily seen myself picking this to be the Big 12 championship matchup, but it’s tough to see that happening when one of the two is already going to be 0-1 in league play. The loser basically has no margin for error the rest of the way, especially if the two schools end up in a tiebreaker situation.
And if you’re a CFP aspirant from the Big 12, you’d better win your conference.
So needless to say, this is not Northwestern-Nebraska. Iowa State-K-State is legit high stakes. Tune in.
No. 17 Kansas State vs. No. 22 Iowa State in Dublin is the first Week 0 game between ranked opponents since 2000. It’s also potentially significant for the Big 12 title race. Yet it doesn’t feel like there has been much national attention on that game, with previews already looking ahead to Week 1 games like Texas at Ohio State. Is there a reason that game is under-the-radar nationally? — Aaron M.
We didn’t call it Week 0 back then, but you’re bringing back some great memories of those high-profile Kickoff/Pigskin/Eddie Robinson Classics.
The last “big” Week 0 game I remember was in 2004, No. 1 USC vs. Virginia Tech in Washington, D.C., when Reggie Bush caught three touchdown passes. Those games all went kaput the next year when the NCAA went to a permanent 12-game schedule, and Week 0 did not return until Cal-Hawaii in Australia in 2016, which helps explain the long drought.
To be blunt, the reason it’s flying under the radar is because it’s not a Big Ten or SEC game. K-State and Iowa State are good programs, but they are not big national brands. Outside of Colorado, there aren’t any in the Big 12 right now. I know in my head I’ve been thinking ahead to No. 1 Texas vs. No. 3 Ohio State myself. But come kickoff on Aug. 23, I’d imagine most college football fans will come to the realization that, wow, there’s a really good game on today.
In fact, I could have easily seen myself picking this to be the Big 12 championship matchup, but it’s tough to see that happening when one of the two is already going to be 0-1 in league play. The loser basically has no margin for error the rest of the way, especially if the two schools end up in a tiebreaker situation.
And if you’re a CFP aspirant from the Big 12, you’d better win your conference.
So needless to say, this is not Northwestern-Nebraska. Iowa State-K-State is legit high stakes. Tune in.
