OT- PSU opener in danger because of volcano
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/11383726/penn-state-nitt…
Well...this takes the cake. I'm not sure I've ever seen a more strange factor possibly impact the playing of a game. Maybe it's more common in Ireland, but can anyone remember anything like this before?
August 20th, 2014 at 10:11 PM ^
Why the hell is PSU playing UCF in Ireland?
Does anyone even care enough to go the UCF games in Orlando?
August 20th, 2014 at 10:15 PM ^
Nice try, Dave.
August 20th, 2014 at 10:15 PM ^
was O'Brien v. O'Leary. Other than that, I think everyone was confused other than Notre Dame and Navy did it.
August 20th, 2014 at 10:47 PM ^
My coworker who is a. PSU fan told me that it was O'Briens idea for the team to play there since they couldn't go to a bowl game. I guess just a special trip to take as a team. This ESPN article alludes to that but doesn't have a direct quote, sorry.
August 20th, 2014 at 10:52 PM ^
It's a PSU "replacement bowl game" of sorts. Some people think scheduling this game is "against the spirit of the NCAA sanctions", which fair enough, I won't get into that argument. But it's definitely a unique experience for the team and those fans who are going (I'm going myself, estimates are that about 18K Penn State fans and 10K UCF fans will be there).
August 20th, 2014 at 11:13 PM ^
Any reason it's in Ireland other than it's pretty there this time of year?
Could it have been anywhere nice that feels like traveling to a bowl game?
August 20th, 2014 at 11:20 PM ^
that's the primary reason it's there versus, say, Barcelona or Nassau or Honolulu. Someone in Ireland seems to think this game will make $$$ (we'll see about that). Non-Notre Dame Dublin games are not entirely unprecedented: the Emerald Isle Classic was envisioned in 1988 as an annual NCAA Dublin game but it made it only two years (1988 was BC v Army; 1989 was Pittsburgh v Rutgers) before being discontinued.
August 21st, 2014 at 4:27 AM ^
An Irish buddy (like from Ireland not nd) of mine has told me that American football is fairly popular to some groups of people in Ireland who view it as sort of a way to be anti-English.
Also this volcano threat is very real. I have spent this month traveling around Europe and currently my plans are to fly home next Friday to watch the season opener against that team no one has ever heard of. I am a tad bit worried because the last home opener I missed was in 07 when we .... NOOOOO NOtT AGAIN
August 20th, 2014 at 10:31 PM ^
Well UCF does have the second largest undergrad student body in the nation, so there's that. I work for UCF and home games are well attended. Last year they did win a bcs bowl and had the 3rd pick in the first round of the nfl draft.
August 21st, 2014 at 12:51 PM ^
Couldn't scalp a ticket to UCF/USF last year for under $100....and this was after kickoff. Doubt you could say that for any UM games.
August 20th, 2014 at 10:15 PM ^
I would hope some provisional plan was put into place for either PSU or UCF to be prepared to host this game on campus.
August 21st, 2014 at 8:24 AM ^
I thought this post was going to be about something else.
August 20th, 2014 at 10:18 PM ^
If you thought this was strange, just wait until Michigan's game is postponed next week due to an alien invasion.
August 20th, 2014 at 10:25 PM ^
But even with the Aliens running around Ann Arbor you're still going to be pissed if the place isn't full on Saturday. Admit it.
August 20th, 2014 at 11:05 PM ^
It will be good to have you in the parking lot defending the gates.
August 20th, 2014 at 10:40 PM ^
intergalactic recruits visiting EL for their opener.
August 20th, 2014 at 11:50 PM ^
An alien invasion is no where near as big a deal as Michigan playing football. Besides, we would probably find out we have a whole bunch of heretofore unheard of "Milky Way Wolverine" fans for our rivals to be jealous of.
August 21st, 2014 at 12:02 AM ^
Do the aliens have a good o line?
August 20th, 2014 at 10:27 PM ^
I remember a couple years ago, a volcano erupted in Iceland (mount alottaconsonantandvowelsrandpmlythrowntogether) And the ash caused huge air travel disruptions.
August 21st, 2014 at 6:31 AM ^
"... more than 100,000 flights were cancelled following the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokul volcano."
August 21st, 2014 at 12:22 PM ^
Yeah this is actually a commonish disruption to transatlantic air travel. Also Iceland's one shining moment of relevance.
Of course this could be avoided if the game was on campus instead of in a country where no one cares about American football because OMIGOD THINK OF ALL THE MONEY THERE IS TO BE MADE FROM EUROPE for the amature not focused on money NCAA.
August 20th, 2014 at 10:27 PM ^
you are all forgetting the volcano of april 2010 that diverted air travel all over the world for a few weeks. i had to find a last minute revised route to africa because europe was basically closed to air traffic.
August 20th, 2014 at 10:30 PM ^
I think we are allowed to both remember that event and laugh at the fact that this ridiculous schedule stunt is going awry.
August 21st, 2014 at 5:53 AM ^
as opposed to a serious 'warning', like for the alien invasion that we need to prepare for.
August 20th, 2014 at 10:31 PM ^
PSU just can't escape that black cloud
August 20th, 2014 at 10:32 PM ^
Puts a new spin on Joe vs. the Volcano....
August 20th, 2014 at 10:33 PM ^
NFL.com talks a little bit about this as well - HERE
"Iceland's Meteorological Office has detected more than 2000 earthquakes in the Bardarbunga area since Saturday. Scientists see earthquakes as an early warning that a volcano might erupt. When magma moves deep down, the pressure breaks rocks and the earth starts to shake."
There's a DeutscheWelles article linked in theirs if you want slightly more detailed observations on this particular volcano. They also talk about how this has not helped with the general stress of getting equipment to the gme and through customs, something I thought ws intriguing. From the sound of it, they've gotten the list down to even helmet screws, so definitely detailed.
August 20th, 2014 at 10:35 PM ^
What if they go and then the volcano erupts? will they have to stay in Ireland for weeks? will they come back rowing? so many questions.
August 20th, 2014 at 10:37 PM ^
Last time that volcano blew, I had a cousin get stuck in Europe for at least a week. If there's a risk of it going off and being of any appreciable magnitude, I very much doubt they go at all
August 20th, 2014 at 10:44 PM ^
would really be bizarre. UCF at least has a bye week scheduled the next week. Penn State does not. Would Akron be able to argue for a forfeit victory because --- hey, the Zips made it to State College but somehow the HOME team wasn't able to make it there ?!?!?
August 20th, 2014 at 11:13 PM ^
Oh gosh, just the fact that Akron and Penn State are playing each other makes me cringe a little... too much pain on one field
August 20th, 2014 at 10:35 PM ^
We did also have the opener vs. Western a few years back that ended early due to a rain storm that would have Royal Oak saying "oh that's cute"
August 20th, 2014 at 10:39 PM ^
That game was called beause of lightning, not rain. Royal Oak was saying "oh, that's... FFFFUUUUUCCCKKK!"
August 21st, 2014 at 9:44 AM ^
That rain felt good cuz I was drunk and it was extremely hot and humid that day.
August 20th, 2014 at 10:38 PM ^
So a school from Pennsylvania is playing a school from Florida and the game, which is being played in Ireland, is in jeopardy because there is a volcano that might erupt in Iceland.
....
August 20th, 2014 at 11:14 PM ^
To me, that's what happens when AMERICAN college football teams schedule gimmicky ass games like this in another country. Notre Dame playing there, I could see--but PSU and UCF?! Cumong, (Irish)man!
Hmmm, wonder when and where DB will carry on this ridiculous little trend?
August 20th, 2014 at 11:20 PM ^
Well, Michigan is a French word . . .
August 21st, 2014 at 12:41 AM ^
In case you forgot, there are volcanoes in the United States and if they erupt, games will probably be cancelled there too. We just scheduled Washington - want to take bets?
August 20th, 2014 at 11:19 PM ^
Looks like Europe will just say "what the hell" this time and let planes just fly through the ash:
"The Eyjafjallajokull eruption in April 2010 caused the largest closure of European airspace since World War Two, with losses estimated at between 1.5bn and 2.5bn euros (£1.3-2.2bn).
Criticism following the strictly enforced shutdown resulted in the UK's Civil Aviation Authority relaxing its rules to allow planes to fly in areas with a low density of volcanic ash."
What could possibly go wrong?
August 20th, 2014 at 11:45 PM ^
And people would miss the football game.
August 21st, 2014 at 6:16 AM ^
There are a few empty Olympic stadiums near our apartment here in Beijing. I could go ask, just so no one would miss the game. Just sayin'
August 21st, 2014 at 6:33 AM ^
I'd like to be there when the announcers are given "Eyjafjallajokul" to pronounce as part of the backstory.
August 21st, 2014 at 10:08 AM ^
Mocha Cub has an interesting point. Can you imagine a name like that on the back of a football jersey.
August 21st, 2014 at 12:48 AM ^
Are you suggesting that PSU is going to suck ash this year?
August 21st, 2014 at 1:03 PM ^
WE ARE POM PEII
August 21st, 2014 at 8:30 AM ^
Not really that similar but it was an odd circumstance. I suppose it's up there with the snow collapsing the Metrodome roof. July 15, 1976 The Only “Rain Out” in Astrodome History
August 21st, 2014 at 1:04 PM ^
Are we counting the Doom of Valyria?
August 21st, 2014 at 1:20 PM ^
Iceland's a crazy place. Apparently they've had 3,000 (!) earthquakes there just in the last week, which is just a friendly wakeup call for the impending volcano eruption. Good times.