Embrace Mississippi State on Thursday Night Against Missouri

Sep 5, 2015; Columbia, MO, USA; A Missouri Tigers cheerleader entertains the fans during the second half against the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks at Faurot Field. Missouri won 34-3. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Mississippi State fans are getting a weird taste of college football in the last week of October and the first week of November. Last week, there was no game because of the bye. And to make it worse, there weren’t any really great games for us to watch in place of Mississippi State. This week, we get football back, but we get it back on Thursday instead of Saturday.

Sigh.

But cheer up Bulldog fans, because what we want more than anything is for the Bulldogs to be set up for success. And this Thursday night game against the Missouri Tigers is actually a good thing.

Normally, I’m right there in line with everyone else on hating Thursday night games. The game will end somewhere around 11:30 or 11:45. We have to stay up late on a work night. I get all that.

But this time the Thursday night game is on the road. And that makes a pretty big difference. Also, the team that follows this game weighs heavily on why I am glad Mississippi State was scheduled for Thursday and not Saturday.

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Since the game is on the road, no one is missing out on prime tailgating. This is always a complaint whenever the Bulldogs draw a Thursday night game. It means taking off work for at least Thursday and possibly Friday if you want to go through your usual pregame ritual. Since it is on the road, this is no longer a concern. It might affect some of you planning on making the trip, but it won’t be nearly as many as usual.

Another reason we need to embrace the Thursday night kickoff is because it is against Missouri. This looked like a much more formidable opponent in July than it does now. I expect Missouri to play hard, but this is a game the Bulldogs are supposed to win. We won’t need the added advantage of Davis Wad Stadium to get through this game. Plus, since Missouri is struggling so much, there won’t be as many Missouri fans to make the trip to Columbia to sit in the stadium.

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But most notably, the fact Alabama follows this game is why I am glad the game is on Thursday night. This game against Missouri becoming a trap game is a little concerning, but getting to have a couple of days of extra rest is a huge benefit to Mississippi State. This is even more significant when you consider Alabama will be taking on LSU on Saturday. Those two teams should pound each other into oblivion. And when they do, it will only help Mississippi State.

Yeah, normally Thursday night games are usually terrible. But this sets up well for Mississippi State, and if we care more about the success of our team than our own personal comfort, then this is a great opportunity for the Bulldogs.