A Farmageddon Farewell: The Enduring Charm and Imminent End of a Storied Rivalry

College football's unofficial start, Week 0, is often a quiet affair. But this year, the calendar delivers a unique and powerful story, with a game that is both a beginning and a bittersweet ending. In a Dublin pub, fans from America’s heartland are gathering to celebrate something special: the 109th consecutive meeting of the Iowa State Cyclones and the Kansas State Wildcats, a rivalry affectionately known as "Farmageddon." This year, it's fittingly dubbed "Farm O'Geddon" on the old sod.

This matchup is more than just a novelty; it’s a high-stakes, nationally relevant game between two solid, ranked programs. The No. 17 Wildcats and the No. 22 Cyclones will clash in a Big 12 conference game that holds significant weight for both the conference title race and the newly expanded College Football Playoff. As Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said, it’s a "great opportunity" and an "honor" to be part of the international showcase.

Yet, even as the sport celebrates this global moment, its own self-destructive tendencies cast a shadow over the event. This storied streak of consecutive meetings, which has persevered through world wars, droughts, and depressions, is scheduled to end in 2027. The Farmageddon rivalry is a casualty of conference realignment, the powerful force that has reshaped college football into a sport dictated by television rights and media money.

The Big 12, now a sprawling 16-member conference, has opted for a "scheduling matrix" to manage its massive footprint. In this new system, only four rivalries were deemed "protected" and guaranteed to be played every year: Arizona-Arizona State, BYU-Utah, Baylor-TCU, and Kansas State-Kansas. While these in-state clashes make sense, the absence of Farmageddon from the protected list feels like a loss. Its streak is even longer than iconic rivalries like Texas-Oklahoma, Michigan-Ohio State, and the Iron Bowl, a testament to its enduring tradition, even if it has often flown under the national radar.

The true strength of college football isn't just in the blue bloods and their massive television ratings. It lies in the diversity of its 136 FBS-level programs scattered across more than 40 states. This is a sport built on pride, pageantry, and the weird, wonderful neighborhood rivalries that defy logic but represent the very soul of American sport. Leagues were once formed on a basis of shared geography and cultural commonality; now, they are assembled for the sole purpose of maximizing media revenues. This shift has led to an 18-team Big Ten and an Atlantic Coast Conference with teams on the Pacific Ocean, and it's this same force that threatens to end a continuous rivalry that has lasted for more than a century.

Saturday's game is more than just a football contest; it's a showcase for what needs to be preserved in the face of this financial avalanche. It's a tribute to the old-school values of two programs that have built success through hard work and community investment. Fans of both schools have demonstrated their passion in unique ways, from a 50,000-seat stadium in Manhattan, Kansas, to the legendary "Snowmageddon" game that saw running back Abu Sama III become a school legend.

The tradition continues now in Dublin, with the world watching. It’s a fitting spotlight for a rivalry that deserves it, but it’s also a poignant reminder to savor this unique and enduring tradition. Because even the good stuff, the stuff that makes college football so special, isn't necessarily safe from the endless churn of conference realignment.