WKU Football: 2017 Home Kickoff Times Announced
WKU football released their Home Football kickoff times. They are:
2017 HOME KICKOFF TIMES
• Eastern Kentucky — Saturday, Sept. 2 — 6 p.m.
• Louisiana Tech — Saturday, Sept. 16 — 6 p.m.
• Ball State — Saturday, Sept. 23 — 6 p.m.
• Charlotte — Oct. 14 — 3:30 p.m.
• Florida Atlantic — Oct. 28 — 3:30 p.m.
• Middle Tennessee — Nov. 17 — 7 p.m.
There are some immediate things to take away from the announced times:
No 11 A.M. kickoffs
For years the fanbase has repeatedly complained about 11 a.m. kickoffs and their effect on tailgating, attendance and atmosphere. That excuse is out of the window right now. If the season goes as planned (8 wins or better) this year will be a great litmus test to see how much the fan support for WKU has grown. Most of the home games are spread out or against regional teams that may bring a few hundred or thousand fans. In football (as well as basketball), its time for alumni, students & the BG community to show out.
EKU game stays on a Saturday
There had been rumors that this game might have been moved up to Thursday or Friday. Now it is a primetime game for fans of both WKU & EKU to attend. We are EKU’s Super Bowl (ask Stansbury) and are still seen as their primary rival despite them being in the Ohio Valley Conference. I expect this game to be close to a sell out and think it will be a fun blow out in the renewal of this rivalry.
Kiffin comes to WKU
The Florida Atlantic/Lane Kiffin marriage will be fascinating. Their program has all the resources in place to be a power program in Conference USA but hasn’t been able to put it together yet. We’ll get a front row seat at a prime afternoon time to see how Mike Sanford’s squad measures up. If the Owls are competitive, this should be another solid crowd near 19,000 fans (hopefully more).
One bad game for fans
The home finale against MTSU is a tough one. A week after visiting Marshall, WKU will host MTSU on a Friday for a potential C-USA East elimination game. This Friday game will conflict with the KHSAA playoffs and we know that for many BG locals, the Bowling Green Purples (and other local high schools) are a high priority for them (even over WKU). I fully expect the potential cold weather to also make this the least attended game of the year. This game had a lot of potential (even though I doubt MTSU would travel no matter which day) but we’ll have to overcome a lackluster atmosphere to win against on of our best opponents.
What do you think about the announced times. What were your takeaways upon seeing them? Let us know in a comment below, or on twitter @TheTowelRackWKU.
