As I have been reading the threads about Thanksgiving practice traditions, and all of the matchups for this week, something occurred to me... IMO, the week of the semis is the best week of football in KY. Here are my arguments:

 

1) Thanksgiving Practice - there is just something special about it. Whether your program does anything different or not, fact of a team being together on that day just makes it special. Add to that the possibility of community involvement b/c most are off work, and the fact that recent alums are home from college & can swing by practice, and it makes for a special atmosphere. Just a different feel than any other practice, IMO.

 

2) Home games... Let's face it, the atmosphere of the Championship games is anti-climactic. The home crowd, night game (usually), and smaller confines of semi-final games just makes it a better atmosphere, for the most part.

 

3) Better games. I have absolutely NO hard evidence to back this up, but it seems to me that semi-final games tend to be "better" games. Fewer blowouts, more intensity, etc. Again, I have no idea if the numbers back me up, but that is how it has always seemed to me.

 

What say you folks?

Good point.

 

Backs up why it would be MUCH better for Kentucky to do what they do in some states and have Semis at neutral sites.

 

My preference would be at stadiums of FCS or NAIA/D2 schools both east and west...

* EKU or MOREHEAD for Eastern Regions

* MURRAY or LINDSEY-WILSON for Western Regions

 

have games Friday for classes whose state championships would be on the following Friday and Saturday for those.