Another Early Bird Special
On the heels of my fellow Husker blogger Steve writing a pretty smart piece about fatigue, I'm more concerned about getting up in the morning. Specifically, I mean the Huskers getting another 11:00 a.m. Central kickoff time Saturday. Granted, Nebraska and Missouri earned that kick time with their poor performances last week. But, jeez, 11:00 is an early time for football. And, it hurts the Huskers a little in the other important aspect of this game...recruiting
Don't get me wrong. I'm very happy that NU is getting televised. Any time you can get on TV, more fans get to see it, and it could help recruiting efforts. So, if playing in the morning is what it takes to get that revenue and exposure, do it. And, NU had the chance to earn a prime-time 7:00 pm kickoff from the muckety mucks at the network, but neither they nor Missouri held up their end of the bargain. I wouldn't put us on prime time either.
Kicking off at 11:00 is a little hard on fans. I speak from pure self interest because I'm going to this game (happy birthday to me). Hey, I love bacon and bloody Mary's as much as the next guy. But, true NU tailgating is about Fairbury hotdogs and barley pop. Maybe I'll have some of that, too. Yes, it kind of stinks to leave the house around 7:00 to get down to Lincoln. But, with an infant daughter at home, my wife and I have had enough sleep "boot camp" that getting up at 5:30 or 6:00 is no big deal.
I would say that the start time could potentially put a damper on the boisterous NU crowd. But, after hearing what the UT game was like, I have confidence that the Husker faithful will be wide awake at kickoff. I think most fans know how much is at stake Saturday and will bring their leather lungs. If you are going to the game - please BE LOUD. The Huskers need your voice. Leave it there.
We Have Company
Everybody knows that recruiting has become an all-year and around-the-clock deal in college football. And, this is where the 11:00 a.m. kick hurts the most. It is very tough to get visitors in for morning games, because many of these high school players have games on Friday night. So they either have to leave very late after their game or somehow catch a very early flight on Saturday. I know it cost NU visitors for the UT game, and some of those visits were rescheduled for this game. At one point it was looking like there could be as many as15 visitors. Now, I'd venture a guess that it will significantly less than that.
The remaining home game is against Colorado on Thanksgiving weekend. And, for obvious reasons, that is a tough time to get folks to travel, too. This is tough stuff because any recruiting follower will tell you that visits tend to equate to commitments. NU will have go the extra mile to get as many kids as they can this weekend.
Of course, nothing is more attractive than winning. So, the number one thing Husker players, coaches and fans can do is put their energy in to Saturday's game. A win over MU and finishing the season with a North title would mean a lot to everyone, recruits included.
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