Oklahoma State University Athletics
Why Thursday?
August 16, 2017 | Cowboy Football
There are many challenges in college athletics, and one of the least talked about is football scheduling.
It is an art. It is a chore. It is a pain. It is constant. It is NOT fun.
The factors are many, those affected are numerous, the ramifications are plenty and there is no shortage of opinions. There are budgets to make, guarantees to consider, television to satisfy and the ramifications on future schedules to mull.
It is a giant jigsaw puzzle, and the final piece is never in place. There is always another game, another season, another opponent to find.
Exhibit A in the scheduling mosh pit is Oklahoma State's first two games of the upcoming season. The Cowboys will begin 2017 on a Thursday night (against Tulsa) and a Friday night (week two at South Alabama).
That's weird.
The good news is both games have been selected for national prime time television. That kind of exposure is a rare accomplishment during the non-conference season. However, to achieve that result, some hard choices had to be made.
Thursday night games are not ideal for fans or for the university. Tailgating is diminished. Incoming fans are pouring into parking lots that are trying to empty after a day of campus business. Fans working until 5 p.m. will be fighting the clock to make kickoff. Most everyone in the stadium that night will likely arrive home well after midnight. Some will make it home early Friday morning and will still be looking at a day of work.
Friday night road games mean an extra missed day of class for the student-athletes and a game that competes against Oklahoma high school football.
But there is an upside. Oklahoma State's game against Tulsa was headed for a regional cable network telecast, at best, if played on a Saturday. The South Alabama game in week two would not have been televised at all if played on Saturday. ESPN3, the online platform, would have been the best possible clearance. So instead of two prime time games, OSU would likely have been shutout of the national conscience through the first two weeks of the season — not a good formula for recruiting success, awards campaigns and votes in the national polls.
Another bonus is travel. The Cowboys are saddled with long road trips in consecutive weeks in September. By playing on a Thursday and a Friday, followed by a Saturday trip to Pittsburgh in week three, OSU has an extra recovery day from those flights to Mobile and western Pennsylvania.
What Exhibit A displays is the constant state of compromise that comes into play with scheduling. In 2016, OSU suffered through an epidemic of 11 a.m. kickoffs dictated by the Big 12 television partners, but all of the games were on Saturday. The Tulsa game will be OSU's first home game at night since Bedlam in 2015. Those 11 a.m. kickoffs generate as many complaints as Friday night games and for good reason. Fans coming from long distance leave home before dark for Stillwater and return from Stillwater after dark.
Thursday night games are difficult for everyone so OSU tries to avoid them whenever possible. The last one was in 2014 against Texas Tech. The 11 a.m. kickoffs are also difficult so the school does its best to avoid them.
Clearly our best isn't always good enough. And because of that, we'd like to say thanks to the Oklahoma State fans. Thanks for the early mornings and late nights. Thanks for coming to campus and fighting your way into the parking lots while the faculty tries to exit. Thanks for waiting out an announcement on kickoff times. Thanks for supporting your team.
Thanks for helping us compromise.
