How college football teams have done returning from Ireland and why it has Matt Campbell's attention

Ben Hutchens

DUBLIN — The only thing more important than the Ireland game is what you do when you come back from the Ireland game.

Iowa State and coach Matt Campbell accomplished their first goal of the season with a 24-21 win against Kansas State in the Aer Lingus Classic. It was an impressive win, considering the No. 22 Cyclones were a 3.5 point underdog to the No. 17 Wildcats, and overcame jet lag and sloppy Irish weather to secure a win.

But an even more daunting challenge faces ISU now. How does it avoid the fates of other teams who have turned in subpar performances following a trip to Ireland?

For ISU, the challenge starts right away on Saturday against South Dakota, a top-five ranked FCS opponent (FOX, 2:30 p.m.).

Campbell was thinking about the return trip from Ireland in M