Thursday Night Lights: Exciting Weeknight Upsets Poised To Continue in 2010

The 2010 college football season got off to an appropriate start with some crazy Thursday night football action. Since ESPN started airing Thursday night games a few years back, it’s been my go-to source for primetime drama (way more fun than Grey’s Anatomy).

Thursday night has became home to a bevy of upsets, especially in recent seasons (remember in 2006 when Louisville was the hot new thing, for like, a week? Came to prominence on a Thursday, felled the next Thursday). Nowadays, I’m disappointed if I don’t get my usual dose of midweek madness.

These days, the opening weekend of NCAA ball is usually a little weird. The games are spread out throughout the whole holiday weekend, and there are far too many mismatches to be had. But, barring a repeat of any Appalachian State-like insanity, the low-dosage-meted-out-over-several-days approach is a good way to ease into the season.

Choosing to start on a Thursday instead of a fully-loaded Saturday not only brings lots of attention a few otherwise inconsequential non-conference games but its inherent wackiness factor gives fans great action and controversy right off the bat, and puts them in a great mood for the rest of the season.

Only a day in, and 2010 has proved no different. USC and Hawaii were up all night, having a sort of ridiculous shootout that at some points appeared would never end (it did, after about four hours, 1,000+ combined offensive yards gained, and more than one comedic display of referees failing to communicate).

And we got our requisite upset in Utah over Pittsburgh, which of course only came after a field goal that had to be kicked three times and a lucky interception that set up the winning kick. Oh, yeah, and in overtime!

Even Middle Tennessee State provided Minnesota a bit of a scare kept things from being boring.

Maybe the crowd is different when they’ve been at work all day instead of drinking in the parking lot prior to the game. Maybe it’s the pressure of the nationwide audience and being pretty much the only game on TV.

But there are some intangibles that make favored teams falter and underdogs rise to the occasion so often on Thursday nights. The sport is better for it—it gives us something to talk about the next day and makes the long wait until Saturday a little more bearable. And teams will play a little bit harder knowing they’ve got that much more chance of rising in the polls following a big upset a couple of days before.

So 2010 is off and running. Following the sport’s most tumultuous offseason to date, fans needed some added drama to keep them hooked. Given that this Saturday’s schedule is littered with the usual first-week cupcake games and the weekend’s marquee matchup between Boise State and Virginia Tech isn’t even until Monday night, it was necessary that Thursday live up to its reputation.

Luckily, it did. Here’s hoping the following weeks will provide more exciting weeknight games as well (I’m lookin’ at you, Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech, Nov. 4!).