ASU Coach Questions Rest Disparity Before London Game

Scheduling Frustration

Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham is not happy about the scheduling gap before his team plays Kansas in London. The Jayhawks played their last game on Friday night, suffering a 38-21 loss against Missouri. Meanwhile, the Sun Devils had to wait until Saturday to play Texas A&M, where they lost 48-20.

This difference gives Kansas an extra day of rest before the historic matchup at Wembley Stadium. Dillingham spoke about the situation after practice in suburban London on Tuesday. He noted that while you do not expect scheduling to be different for a game like this, "at the end of the day it is what it is." He added, "There are no excuses; you either get it done or you don't get it done."

Travel and Experience

This game is the first time Wembley Stadium will host bigtime college football. Organizers of the Union Jack Classic want to turn the game into an annual event.

Looking ahead to future international games, Dillingham believes the schedules should be better aligned. He wants both teams to play on the same day the week before traveling. He called this "an unwritten rule" and said it is "common sense" that teams playing unique games should have similar schedules.

The Sun Devils flew straight to London from Texas instead of heading back home after Saturday night's game. The Jayhawks planned to leave on Tuesday afternoon, arriving in the British capital early Wednesday.

Dillingham believes there is "zero advantage" to playing a Week 3 game internationally from a football perspective. However, he wants his players to enjoy the trip. He said, "They're still college athletes and I wasn't going to rob them from an experience to fly them across the country, go see London, go be able to experience things."

What it means for the next game

Arizona State Sun Devils at Kansas Jayhawks (College Football, Sat, 19 Sep): Kansas Jayhawks win 33%, Arizona State Sun Devils win 67%; projected score Kansas Jayhawks 23, Arizona State Sun Devils 28. Our safest pick: Arizona St to win.