America’s breadbasket straddles the Missouri River, with Iowa on the eastern slope and Kansas burying a knee in its back from the southwest. The river’s thick, muddy waters and countless tributaries irrigate the world’s most fertile farmland. In Iowa, that means corn, hogs and even turkeys. In Kansas, that’s winter wheat, sorghum and cattle.

Agriculture dictates business in both states, and their land-grant institutions are among the nation’s best at cultivating the next crop of farmers. It has led Iowa State and Kansas State to forge close ties, and that cooperation spills over to competition in athletics. It also helped launch one of the greatest rivalry nicknames in sports.

Once considered a derisive moniker, “Farmageddon” has nudged its way into the lexicon of modern college football in a way that belies its threadbare roots. In a new-look Big 12 scuttled and reformed through realignment, Farmageddon is a relic and a treasure. With expansion, teams change conferences and rivalries disintegrate. Yet Iowa State and Kansas State have found in each other an organic partner and competitor.

“There’s that sense of a rivalry between the two schools, and it’s always a battle,” said Kansas State defensive end Brendan Mott, who grew up in Iowa City, Iowa. “It’s super physical up front. The conditions are always tough. It’s definitely a rivalry. I know us as players look forward to it every year. And I’m sure Iowa State does as well.”

#CyclONEnation fans voted overwhelmingly to start a trophy with one longtime foe, who ISU has played every year since 1917. Iowa state players agree.

Should Iowa State and K-State meet for ‘The Reaper,’ as the Paul Bunyan’s Axe of the Plains?
Our story:https://t.co/cJl9LJM2Kd pic.twitter.com/fXo07uOXUs

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— Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) August 16, 2022

Farmageddon has never meant more to the contestants, fans or college football, and the series has soared in importance. For just the second time in their century-plus competition, the programs meet as ranked opponents. Saturday night at Jack Trice Stadium, No. 18 Iowa State (9-2, 6-2 Big 12) could win a 10th game for the first time in school history and qualify for the Big 12 Championship Game. No. 24 Kansas State (8-3, 5-3) could ruin the party in Ames and perhaps sneak into the title game itself.

“We’ve had the game circled,” Kansas State tight end Will Swanson told reporters.

Humble beginnings

For generations, the Kansas State and Iowa State football teams sat like loose nails on a wooden fence waiting for the hammer to pound them into place. From the start of the Big Six Conference in 1928 through the completion of the Big Eight in 1995, either the Cyclones or the Wildcats finished in last place 54 times in 68 seasons. In 1989 and 1991, Kansas State moved its home games with Oklahoma to Norman so both squads could generate more revenue.

Then came the Manhattan Miracle led by Bill Snyder. In perhaps the greatest turnaround in college football history, Snyder took a program teetering toward shifting to a lower division and won multiple Big 12 championships. Snyder, a College Football Hall of Fame inductee, was 215-117-1 in 27 seasons with five top-10 finishes. The Wildcats had participated in one bowl game in their first 93 years. Snyder took them to 20.

“When you look at both programs, their histories are very similar,” said Jeff Woody, a running back at Iowa State from 2009-13. “Kansas State just came out of it sooner. Kansas State, before Bill Snyder got there, was awful, and Iowa State was awful until (Dan) McCarney got there.”

Iowa State had a few peaks under McCarney, but the Cyclones were well behind their foes 350 miles to the southwest. For 90 years, it was less a rivalry than just a series between two similar institutions that simply played every year.

“They had a great run under coach Snyder, and in some ways, they were the gold standard of what maybe Iowa State kind of aspired to do,” said Iowa State’s Jamie Pollard, who ranks third in longevity among Power 4 athletic directors. “Their institutional composition, their makeup, their history, is more like us than not.

“You look at K-State as a program. They won Big 12 championships. They played in the Cotton Bowl. They did some things that Iowa State would like to do. Quite frankly, with coach (Chris) Klieman there right now, in some ways the path to where we want to go kind of goes through them.”

Farmageddon

In 2007, Kansas and Missouri played a top-five matchup at Arrowhead Stadium. The stands were full and feisty, the game a rousing success. Kansas City Chiefs brass then reached out to multiple schools to gauge interest in staging future games.

“K-State was willing, as we were willing, to each give up a home game, so we did the two-year deal,” Pollard said. “It was a good one-off opportunity that allowed us to go to the Kansas City market, which is a big market for us.”

Before the first game in 2009, a Kansas State fan site coined the phrase “Farmageddom.” It caught on quickly and appeared in newspapers and other media outlets. At first, many fans and supporters considered the term cringeworthy and cliche. The nickname, however, gathered momentum and stuck despite the series moving back to campuses in 2011.

Concurrently, the Big 12 was amid a radical realignment. In multiple years, there were heavy discussions about six schools — including Texas and Oklahoma — joining the Pac-10. After the 2010 season, Nebraska and Colorado left for the Big Ten and Pac-10, respectively. The next year, Missouri and Texas A&M bolted for the SEC. Each time, Iowa State and Kansas State were left twisting at the whims of their higher-profile colleagues. Amid the chaos, a bond formed.

“I was in college for the first round of realignment, and Kansas State was also one of those afterthought schools,” Woody said. “And you go, ‘Well, where do we go?’ Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Iowa State and Texas Tech were the land-grant schools. No one expects as much from us. It’s sort of a sibling rivalry that I can fight you and you can fight me, and we can hate each other, but no one else is allowed to hate us.”

New era

Saturday marks the 108th consecutive season the Wildcats and Cyclones face off, but the stakes never have been higher. When both schools were ranked in 2002, it was midseason, and K-State rolled past Iowa State 58-7. Now, it’s the season finale and both teams still harbor Big 12 title hopes.

Should the Cyclones win, they’re almost certain to appear in the title game for the second time, barring a three-way tie and a complicated tiebreaker. But the percentages are low, and coach Matt Campbell said Tuesday it’s not something that concerns him.

Kansas State, which won the Big 12 title two seasons ago, must win and get help to make another title appearance. The long odds don’t detract from the game’s importance, however.

Last year, 6 inches of snow fell during the Cyclones’ 42-35 win in Manhattan. In a game dubbed “Snowmageddon,” Iowa State running back Abu Sama III rushed for 276 yards and three touchdowns. For Saturday’s prime-time kickoff, temperatures are expected to fall into the single digits.

“It always seems like it’s a cold game or snowy game or something like that,” Mott said. “It’s always a good brawl and battle. Last year, they came down to Manhattan. It was a snowy game, and it was our senior night, and we didn’t really have the game that we wanted to have. So, we’re a real hungry team.”

Since the term Farmageddon was applied to this series, unusual situations and surroundings have determined the outcome. In the first Arrowhead game, Iowa State missed an extra point in a 24-23 Kansas State win. From 2014 through 2017, the Wildcats won four straight by 5 points or fewer. In 2015, Iowa State led by a touchdown with the ball and 1:31 left. All the Cyclones needed to do was kneel for the victory because Kansas State had just one timeout remaining.

Instead, Cyclones coach Paul Rhoads chose to run the ball on first down. The back fumbled, and Kansas State tied the score with a touchdown four plays later. A strip-sack with 10 seconds left led to Kansas State’s game-winning field goal. Rhoads was fired the next day.

I’m intrigued by what @ChrisMWilliams thinks about this. Since Mizzou left for the SEC a decade ago, Iowa State is down to a single traveling trophy. Is it time to add another? If so, which school?

— Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) August 14, 2022

Campbell’s arrival in 2016 has escalated the stakes. He’s 4-4 against Kansas State, which matches the number of Cyclone wins against Kansas State from 1999 through 2007. Klieman replaced Snyder in 2019 and is 2-3 against the Cyclones. The programs are built with the same principles with development at their core. Iowa State leads the series all-time, 53-50-4.

“Both football teams play a style that their fan bases really embrace,” Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor said. “They’re similar in a lot of ways, just hard-nosed kids from small-town Iowa, small-town Kansas. They just go out and really play good, hard, solid football.”

Future

There’s little chance of snow or below-zero temperatures for next year’s Farmageddon. Kansas State shifted the game to Ireland, and it will take place in Week 0. Aer Lingus, which operates an annual game in Dublin, met with Iowa State and Kansas State to consider playing a game there. Iowa State will host only four Big 12 games in 2025, so it declined. Taylor thought Klieman would do the same but asked his coach to research the proposal.

“I said, ‘There’s no way Klieman is moving the Iowa State game to a neutral site in Ireland,’” Taylor said. “Chris came down to my office and said, ‘Let’s do it.’ I was shocked, literally, because of the importance of the game.”

Another change is on the horizon, one that has agitated the fan bases. In the 16-team Big 12, in which eight new members have joined in the last two seasons, only four rivalries (all in-state) are protected annually. Farmageddon is slated to cycle off the schedule in 2027. There are no plans for the schools to meet in a nonconference game.

“There have been a lot of changes,” Taylor said. “We probably haven’t had a chance to really slow down and take a look at an option like that. But I think it’s worthy of discussion in the future. And say maybe we do rotate — not just one team a year that you play every year, maybe it is two or three teams. How do we keep Iowa State for us and Kansas and rotate everybody else?”

Reminder: Farmageddon is not officially recognized as a rivalry by @CycloneATH @kstatesports or the @Big12Conference

Seems like as good of time as ever seeing as the next two matchups include:

-Championship and Playoff implications

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-International stand-alone game

— Jack Trice Mafia (@JackTriceMafia) November 24, 2024

Once an afterthought, Farmageddon now resonates as an authentic rivalry shaped by similarity and substance. Mott, Woody and both athletic directors acknowledge the other has become their school’s No. 2 rival, just behind their in-state foes. It matters emotionally and competitively.

“Ohio State–Michigan have played each other for forever, and that’s like a true hatred,” Woody said. “But the existence of those programs has never been threatened, like what happened to Iowa State and Kansas State. So, recognizing that it almost fell apart, and there’s this good thing between two similar programs that because it almost fell apart, you appreciate it for what it is. It’s impossible not to see the similarities between the programs.”

“It is kind of that battle of the farmers,” Mott said. “I think it’s cool it’s got this nickname. It just adds to the rivalry.”

(Photo: Scott Winters / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

SAN ANTONIO —  It was almost 4 a.m. Wednesday when the Lakers arrived at their hotel, their last two losses exposing some of the worst internal fears of the team.

The way they had played in the second half of losses to Denver and Phoenix had players wondering whether all the work the team had put in over the last two months had been worth it and all the effort and time spent trying to change had mattered.

When Denver pushed the familiar pressure points, the Lakers crumbled. When the offense went cold and the rims got tight in Phoenix, they folded.

Their body language said what no one dared mutter publicly: “Here we go again.”

But when the Lakers took the floor Wednesday evening, they took on the persona of their coach, JJ Redick, who said before the game, “I don’t think I’ve ever dwelled on the past.”

Energized in part by a new starting five and in part by a fresh chance to get back to winning, the Lakers played one of their most consistent games of the season on both ends of the court in a 119-101 win against the San Antonio Spurs.

“I’m very proud of our group,” Redick said. “The response was great. And it’s funny because it’s literally what I talked about with them before the game. It’s just you got to let go of the past. You got to let go of the recent past and you got to get on to the next thing. And like they’ve done already on several occasions, they’ve responded.”

Redick moved rookie Dalton Knecht back into the starting five, moving Cam Reddish to the bench, and the group responded by winning each of the four quarters.

Defensively, the Lakers caused havoc and dictated the game with their physicality, pushing Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama away from the paint. Offensively, the ball popped, baskets almost always coming as result of crisp passing, the Lakers recapturing vibes that had evaporated during their three-game losing streak.

“We win games when we do that,” guard D’Angelo Russell said of the Lakers’ passing, which produced 31 assists.

When the Lakers have had 27 or more assists, they’re 9-1. When they’re below that number, they’re 2-6.

Knecht led seven players in double figures with 20 points, LeBron James had his sixth triple-double and Anthony Davis had 19 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Russell had one of his best games of the season, scoring 17 off the bench. Max Christie added 12.

Davis’ passing, in particular, energized the team and neutralized San Antonio’s defense.

“We’re just trying to get good looks, run our offense and live with the results,” Davis said. “And put guys in actions that we thought that we had an advantage with. We’re able to get some lobs, some pocket passes, some open threes. But we just stayed with it.”

The Lakers’ NBA Cup chances are still alive, but they need a win Friday against Oklahoma City, while needing the Spurs to upset the Suns.

More importantly, though, the Lakers found reason to believe that this version of themselves can be who they are moving forward — and not the rickety version from the previous three games, which featured, in one way or another, gut-churning collapses.

“We came out with force, came out with intensity,” Christie said. “Yeah, I don’t think we really slacked. I thought we did a really good job.”

Kendrick Lamar said on his new album “GNX” that Nas congratulated him for being selected to perform at halftime of Super Bowl LIX in February.

Perhaps Nas will make a guest appearance on stage in New Orleans?

It’s hard to predict what Lamar will do with his upcoming performance — or with his music in general. He caught the music world by surprise in releasing his latest album on Friday, then releasing a video for the song “squabble up” on Monday.

The release of “GNX” gives fans a glimpse into additional songs that might be performed at Caesars Superdome in February. The Athletic in September rolled out early predictions and odds of the songs the Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper would perform during the Super Bowl halftime show. Here are updated predictions, which include some of the tracks from the new album:

‘Not Like Us’

When this song, considered by many as the knockout punch in the Kendrick Lamar-Drake rap beef, was released in May, rapper-turned-podcaster Joe Budden said Drake should be thankful it wasn’t the HBCU band season because it would be played at games repeatedly. Well, college football season is here, and marching bands are performing their renditions of the song. Pro teams are playing the song. Youth bands are picking up the song. It even became a theme for the Los Angeles Dodgers during their run to the World Series. It’s the new sports theme for this decade: “They not like us. They not like us. They not like us.”

Chance it’s played: 100 percent

‘squabble up’

When the “Not Like Us” video was released on July 4, there was a snippet of a song at the start of the video. The snippet had no title. That song turned out to be “squabble up” from the new album. The up-tempo start and the sample of Debbie Deb’s “When I Hear Music” is an ideal choice.

Chance it’s played: 99 percent

‘Like That’

This song, featuring Future and Metro Boomin, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Lamar said in his verse there’s no “big three” in rap, declaring himself above Drake and J. Cole.

Chance it’s played: 95 percent

‘Humble’

The NBA used this track as its theme for the 2017 NBA Finals. It’s one of Lamar’s most recognizable songs. It’s hard to imagine it doesn’t make it into the show. If it doesn’t make the cut, “GNX” tracks might be the reason.

Chance it’s played: 90 percent

‘tv off’

Lefty Gunplay joins Lamar in this high-energy song off the “GNX” album. Lamar screaming “Mustarrrrrrd!” in reference to producer DJ Mustard quickly has become a meme-worthy expression. At the very least, Lamar has to yell “Mustarrrrrrd!” at least once during his performance.

Chance it’s played: 85 percent

‘Money Trees’

This song includes Jay Rock, as the two once were labelmates at Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). Listen to “heart pt. 6” from “GNX” and be reminded how much Jay Rock means to Lamar’s career. It would be a great moment on stage for a reunion.

Chance it’s played: 75 percent

‘DNA’

This is one of Lamar’s biggest songs. It’ll be hard to imagine it’s not part of the show.

Chance it’s played: 75 percent

‘All the Stars’

Lamar teamed up with SZA for this song on the “Black Panther” soundtrack. Lamar is no longer on TDE, but he remains close with those on the label. SZA would add soul as a guest performer.

Chance it’s played: 65 percent

‘Swimming Pools (Drank)’

It’s a slower tempo, but it’s a great song in a concert setting. It also was the song that introduced many fans to Lamar’s “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City” album in 2012.

Chance it’s played: 60 percent

‘King Kunta’

This is one of Lamar’s more danceable tracks from his “To Pimp a Butterfly” album from 2015. It’s a perfect concert song … but will it fit in his Super Bowl rotation?

Chance it’s played: 60 percent

‘Family Ties’

Lamar joined his cousin, Baby Keem, on this song off Keem’s “The Melodic Blue” album. Keem has toured with Lamar, so it wouldn’t be surprising for them to be on stage together in New Orleans.

Chance it’s played: 60 percent

‘Alright’

Lamar performed this at Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium when he was part of Dr. Dre’s halftime show. That’s the only thing that makes it dicey as to whether it’ll be part of the upcoming show.

Chance it’s played: 50 percent

‘Collard Greens’

This was a highlight of ScHoolboy Q’s “Oxymoron” album. It’s an up-tempo song and would be another opportunity for Lamar to bring one of his former TDE labelmates onto the biggest of stages with him.

Chance it’s played: 45 percent

‘Rich Spirit’

I’ve heard this song live, and it hits hard in front of a live audience. That doesn’t mean it translates to the Super Bowl. It’s not a dance song, but it’s also not a slow jam. Nice, mid-tempo game that could lighten the mood a little, if needed.

Chance it’s played: 40 percent

‘B—-, Don’t Kill My Vibe’

A popular song, but the NSFW first word of the title means Lamar would have to work around it. It’s not impossible, as any song on this stage will have to be cleaned of profanity. There are parts of the song that would work.

Chance it’s played: 40 percent

‘Euphoria’

This was the first solo diss track from Lamar at Drake. It’s unlikely Lamar will want to turn the halftime show into 14 minutes of clowning Drake … but you never know.

Chance it’s played: 30 percent

‘6:16 in LA’

This Drake diss was never released on streaming services. It was only made available on Lamar’s Instagram. The song was a hit with fans during Lamar’s concert on Juneteenth, but again, how much time is he likely to dedicate to diss songs?

Chance it’s played: 25 percent

‘Meet the Grahams’

The darkest song of the Lamar-Drake feud. It doesn’t fit in this setting.

Chance it’s played: 5 percent

‘Bad Blood’

Taylor Swift is too big of a star to be a featured performer, but this surprise would send social media into a frenzy. There’s a better chance of Swift sitting in a suite cheering for Travis Kelce than joining Lamar on stage. The more the Kansas City Chiefs win, the chances of this collaboration happening shrink.

Chance it’s played: 0 percent

‘Mona Lisa’

This collaboration with Lil Wayne would have been an awkward fit during the show, but it might have been a hit with hometown fans of Wayne. Given Wayne’s public disappointment over not being selected to perform at halftime, in addition to his ties to Drake, it’s hard to imagine him taking the stage at halftime.

Chance it’s played: 0 percent

‘Poetic Justice,’ feat. Drake

Remember when Lamar and Drake made music together? This track was released in 2013. A lot has changed since then. Drake plans to be on tour in Australia on Super Bowl Sunday. No one expected to see him in New Orleans in the first place.

Chance it’s played: minus-1,000 percent

(Top photo: Santiago Bluguermann / Getty Images)