Is Friday the new Thursday?

Lately, I’ve noticed an increase in Friday night games.  Just a few years ago, this was seen as a “mid-major” night, given the nature of Friday night to carry some of the lowest ratings on TV. Thursday nights, however, has been seen since the mid-late 90’s as a College Football equivalent of “Monday Night Football” – a prime non-Saturday game of the week – and has been filled much more often by major conference teams.

But over the past few years, more major-conference teams have stepped into this spot – for the purpose of increased exposure!  This works two-fold:

• Even if a Friday night game has a lower ratings ceiling than a Saturday prime time game, and competes with high school football in many parts of the country, it can still be a great benefit for those teams to have the TV stage for themselves.  

• With the NFL now playing on Thursday nightsthroughout the regular season (the first half of the season being on CBS and two others on NBC), much of the College Football attention has been eclipsed! 

• The economy!  With a Friday night game, it’s a lot easier for travelers to stay a night and leave the following day.  Although many do this on a Thursday as well, there is still a fair contingent that will decide to drive and get to work for at least a portion of Friday. 

The PAC-12 and Big 12 have also taken part of Friday Night College Football in recent years.  A few highlights include:

2011: #2 Oklahoma State at Iowa State.  Could be considered a HUGE pivot-point game in college football history.  

2013: Washington at #13 UCLA.  A matchup of winning teams, both of whom were in the hunt for a 10-win season.  UCLA won by 10 points in a highlight game for two-way player Myles Jack, and both teams ended up ranked in the final AP Poll.

2014: #6 Oregon “at” Cal (Levi’s Stadium).  Not one of the most down-to-the-wire of games (Oregon won 59-41), but more noteworthy was that even a perceived “heavyweight” like Oregon could find themselves playing on Friday night.  

I suspect we’ll see more Power 5-laden Friday night college football games in the years to come (and not just on Labor Day weekend or Black Friday).  An ACC release mentioned that the increase from three to five Friday night games is here to stay, and on occasion, I personally enjoy the thought of coming home at the end of a work week and chilling to some college football.  Plus, what better way to lead into the Saturday action than with a reasonably compelling game less than 12 hours before “College Gameday”?

So is Friday the new Thursday?  When it comes to the prime “non-Saturday” game of the week in college football, it certainly appears to be moving closer…and I like that!