Sub-Glacial Volcano Alert Keeps College Game in Ireland on Ice

Football prides itself on keeping the show going, no matter how extreme the conditions.

But when volcanoes explode, other dynamics enter the fray.

Mother Nature is preparing a blitz of another kind right now, as the volatile Bárðarbunga in Iceland is preparing for a significant event of its own.

Like an eruption.

If the fireworks escalate, then, it may affect travel to Ireland, which could put this coming Sat 30 Aug's Penn State v Central Florida match-up there in jeopardy.

Organizers of the Croke Park Classic in Dublin -- whose objective must be to amuse the locals in Ireland by staging an college football game -- are doing their best to assure wary American tourists to move along; there's no cause for concern. Apparently, nobody told them that tactic didn't work for the dude claiming to be the Wizard of Oz, either, once Toto tugged at his curtain.

And while locals must consider the gridiron game to be a softer alternative to the likes of rugby -- gridiron's direct predecessor -- gaelic football, and hurling, they're actually not the focal point of the event. That would be the infusion of outside money into an economy that sorely needs it. And to the college participants' credit, they take advantage of the opportunity in non-athletic ways.

So if Bárðarbunga -- literally, Bárðar's Bulge -- decides to blast through Europe's largest glacier and make a first-hand appearance, the Irish may be frustrated out of mega-dosh, but the game will still go on. Most likely, in Orlando.

Sort of a Diet Croke Classic.

For now, this live stream from Iceland will be destination viewing by all those who may be affected: