As September comes to a close, it’s strange to think that opening weekend of the 2020 college football season was just last weekend.

Last Saturday’s lid-lifter was the latest start date for TCU Football since 1943, when the Frogs opened the season on October 2nd.

To me, it’s a sign, a reminder of just how different this year has been. COVID-19 has affected every aspect of our lives and college football is not immune. All the processes and changes teams have had to made to their operations, schedules and practices have made “normal operating procedures” obsolete.

It’s different and the impact is showing. If you look at all the results in the early part of the season from the games that were played, not postponed, you can see it.

Lots of upsets, unusual plays and strange outcomes have taken over college football early.

The energy the fans bring to game day can fuel athletes. The Frogs will have to adjust without it. Photo by Glen E. Ellman

I believe there’s one other factor that’s affecting teams in a large way, especially those in their first games — the game day environment. It’s something that players have to adjust to and, until you go through it and experience it (like the Frogs did last weekend), it’s hard to prepare for. Game day for players is the payoff: a stadium full of fans and energy, and a wave of emotion that’s fueled by teammates making plays and the fans reacting with deafening noise. It’s not there this year and I think it affects teams. The change in the game environment is different for fans, TV networks, everyone, but especially the players. We have to adjust to it.

Look at Iowa State in their first game: They had no fans in the stands in the loss to Louisiana. What normally is a really tough place to play for a visiting team in Jack Trice Stadium was benign. Lack of noise, lack of energy and Iowa State played down to the quiet. LSU, same thing. This is the year to challenge tough road venues like Clemson, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Florida, LSU — all now strangely welcoming environments where the visiting teams can hear themselves think.

This need for adjustment also adds to the value of getting one game under your belt. The old adage is that you get the most improvement as a football team from Game 1 to Game 2. Saturday, the Frogs looked like a team playing their first game of the year, adjusting. Iowa State looked like a team that was playing Game 2.

The Cyclones had been through the “quiet game environment” and had gotten kicked in the teeth at home, gave up big plays and lost to Louisiana. They responded and improved against TCU and won on the road.

Another old saying is, “Experience is the best teacher.” I believe that’s more true in 2020 than maybe ever before. What’s going on in our world is something that none of us have ever dealt with. You have to live through it, go through it — and adjust. Same for the Frogs.

TCU’s experience from last Saturday will pay dividends.

The Frogs had their first dose of the season and the difference. They can now settle in and adjust. They’ll have to bring their own energy to game day, no matter where they play. The ISU game was a very important exercise and the good news is that the big plays surrendered, the missed opportunities and mistakes can all be corrected. The Frogs now get to go on the road to Austin, Texas, where it will be much quieter than normal at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium with 75,000 fans missing.

Friday, we’ll focus on the Longhorns. Until then,

Kick ‘Em High!