The ESPN contract requires the SEC to serve up two Thursday night games per season. The problem is that the volunteers aren’t exactly lining up in a hurry to serve anymore.
Aside from the usual hassles with traffic and parking and the fact that the road team gets paid nothing for the inconvenience, this really does seem to be one situation where the student-athlete is adversely affected and the coaches don’t appreciate the inconvenience.
“It’s very tough to play a road game on a Saturday, then turn around the next Wednesday and leave (for a Thursday night game),” Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt said. “When we played a Thursday night game at South Carolina a couple of years ago, we didn’t get back to Oxford until four in the morning. Our players had to be in class just a few hours later.”
Spurrier’s got a good point about opening the season on a Thursday night, and I suppose it can work equally well for a game played over a holiday like Thanksgiving, but this may be a case to watch where resistance isn’t necessarily futile. ESPN may wind up with two games involving SEC teams which will take national exposure on any day of the week they can get it. Must-see TV, indeed.
[By the way, don’t miss this unrelated quote from Mark Richt: “… Our campus chief of police likes when our games are decided midway through the fourth quarter and people start to leave early.” Go Dawgs! At least, just go.]
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Thursday night does have a negative stigma with it, especially if you’re hosting and in the mighty SEC…better put up a few more W’s or they’ll be looking our way. We’ve already been heavily flirting with Pam Ward territory the last few seasons. Unless the SEC is strong enough to make the WWL backdown, which it very well could be – quite the cashcow it is.
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Outside of week one (but we started classes this term on Aug 15, so…) or T-day, I just don’t see how UGA could host a Thursday game. The logistics would be nightmarish. You would have to cancel classes and give nearly all staff a day off. I’m pretty sure that the current administration wouldn’t so blatantly & publicly put academics to the side that way.
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I meant to add that the Okie State game in ’09 would have been a perfect Thursday night game.
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The good news for the chief of police is that over the past 3-4 years the Dawgs have given fans little reason to stay to the end. At least CMR is doing his part to help out the campus police! That should count for something. Right?
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Our new S&C regime is hard-nosed and tough! We did a 180 when I took over. That other guy was so soft. I’m watching the guys on video. We’re going to start winning games in the 4th quarter!!
Check out these player tweets, which show how tough and cutting edge the JOE T S&C PROGRAM is:
#UKnowUHungryWhen you spend over 5 dollars at mcdonalds
FB Alexander Ogletree
Me and Arthur Lynch are doing gallon challenge of milk Sunday. Is it possible?
OT Watts Dantzler
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They are still college students to some extent, yes? Tweets over a single McDs meal and a MILK challenge are somehow disconcerting?
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I think it was meant as a joke.
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As long as the SEC has this as a contract, I look for more Miss St – Vandy games (or Ole Miss – Vandy).
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I am not for SEC teams playing on Thursday. Did enjoy last nights game because they were SEC and both good teams…well coached. Hope the alums, athletic boards, and ADs do not advance this. Agree with Spurrier, maybe opening season games.
Do not like the Friday night games other than high school. Friday nights belongs to the high school teams in Georgia. High school season ticket holder and touchdown member for a very long time. Will not give that up.
LSU has a good D. Saturday we can not take any injuries on defense, especiallay at LB…an important position in TG’s scheme.
Want to see solid recruiting on this side of the ball by RG and TG. In the southern part of this state we are atune to UF and FSU. The word has been that FSU has a solid group at LB due to their recruiting the past couple of years. They will be tested by OU this weekend.
Anxious to see if Dawgs substitute on the O line and get more guys into play. And if RG can get his D line to move up their play. Will need that the rest of the schedule.
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Actually, when I think of Thursday night football, I think of Miss State. They are so attention deficit they’ll play whenever ESPN tells them to.
MSU, UK, Vandy and the occasional South Carolina and Ole Miss should keep ESPN happy.
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Don’t kid yourself BD. If the WWL says Bama plays on Thursday night, Bama will be playing on Thursday night.
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It all comes down to scheduling. If you have a game against Coastal Carolina this Saturday, then have to get ready for a Thursday night game with Ole Miss what is the big deal? You can prepare for Ole Miss for 1.5 weeks and scrimmage against Coastal Carolina on Saturday. Then you have almost another 1.5 weeks to get ready for MSU. Seems like you can use it to your advantage.
There are pros and cons for anything. Just have to decide how to make the cons work for you.
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