INDIANAPOLIS — “It’s a fun atmosphere, I love Friday night games, under the lights and everything, it’s an exciting atmosphere."
Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai speaks for a large portion of the Big Ten Conference when he admits his enthusiasm for playing college games this season, the night before the traditional game day.
FOX Sports has already announced a full season of Friday games beginning September 13 that run all the way into December.
It's an idea embraced by the league commissioner.
"If you look at our footprint on Saturday, having three broadcast partners, I think Friday is an opportunity for national exposure," explained Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti. "I think you’re going to see some programs really embrace the opportunity to play on Friday. We care about what happens at the stadium as well and what happens on campus but if you look at it, it’s an opportunity to get programs to showcase them as they build and then matchups.”
Five schools in the Big Ten will play not once, but twice on Fridays. Washington, USC, UCLA, Purdue and Rutgers are all for the schedule change.
“Players and coaches are creatures of habit so you have to have a plan when you can roll it out to them and say this is how we’re going to approach the week and they will adapt," said Rutgers Head Coach Greg Schiano. "It’s the uncertainty, you can never have uncertainty with a football team or a football staff, they need to know exactly how it’s going to be done and then they will go execute it.”
Penn State shut out Michigan State last year on Black Friday but is not part of the Friday schedule this season.