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This year’s Missouri team isn’t prime-time material. Well, not on Saturday, anyway.
SEC East champions the past two seasons, the Tigers have fallen to the depths of the division with one of the nation’s most anemic offenses. They haven’t been much fun to watch, even for their fans.
They won’t be selected for any Saturday afternoon CBS games or Saturday night ESPN telecasts down the road. Not this season.
Yet the Tigers (4-4, 1-4 SEC) will play host to an ESPN game tonight against No. 24 Mississippi State (6-2, 2-2).
For Mizzou, it’s an opportunity to showcase its program to football fans across the nation, including potential recruits.
ESPN announcers Joe Tessitore, David Pollack and Jesse Palmer will talk about the Tigers’ division titles in 2013 and 2014. Viewers will see attractive Faurot Field and hear about former Tigers in the NFL. Recruits will see a proven program in a premier conference with obvious openings for talented offensive players.
For Mississippi State, it’s another opportunity to showcase their rise under Dan Mullen and provide a boost for postseason honors for QB Dak Prescott.
The Thursday kickoff shouldn’t put either team at a competitive disadvantage. Neither played last Saturday.
Still, there are reasons the SEC’s traditional power teams rarely, if ever, play a home game on a Thursday.
Except for special occasions such as Thanksgiving weekend, a blockbuster season opener or another significant reason (Alabama moved a 2010 game with Georgia Southern to a Thursday before playing an Auburn team with a bye week), Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee play home games on Saturday.
While prestige (“We don’t need to play on Thursday”) may be a factor, there are also several logistical reasons:
- Out-of-town fans — the majority for most teams — have to get to the game on a workday.
- Stadium revenue — Attendance is often lower when fans have to work and kids have to go to school the next day. It’s hard to fill a 100,000-seat stadium on a Thursday night.
- Traffic — Getting fans into town and parked around campus during rush hour, especially when classes are in session, is particularly difficult. Many schools cancel classes on game day.
- Game-day experience — Limited tailgating and social time. Fans who work have to rush to get to the game and rush home afterward.
- Impact on the local economy — Hotels, restaurants and local business are generally hurt by non-Saturday games. Fans don’t have as much time to eat and shop. Many fans who usually stay in hotels on Friday and Saturday nights, will stay only on Thursday.
In in this case, Mizzou was right to accept the Thursday night offer long before the season started. The Tigers’ play doesn’t merit Saturday prime-time exposure. A Friday afternoon date at Arkansas on Thanksgiving weekend was also made prior to the season.
For Mississippi State, it’s national television exposure with little cost to the school, its fan base or local community.
