Mizzou plays Nevada tonight on ESPN.
One of the great things about building up a solid college football program that had never really done anything until recently is the effect national TV can still have on a program.
Tonight, Mizzou will play a National TV game against Nevada. The Tigers are used to being on national TV now…and the school has noticed the difference. Applications and enrollments are at record levels for University…and that success can be directly traced to the success of the football team.
Additionally, national TV is a great recruiting tool. Friday nights aren’t that great because most high school players are playing, too…but if a kid sees highlights of college football on sportscenter tonight, it’s going to be of Mizzou.
And, it’s going to be a team that plays a fun,
aggressive, high scoring offense, with a great
quarterback in Blaine Gabbert and an array of receivers. Granted everybody runs that offense now…but the Tigers do it with a little more flair.
It’s no big deal if you’re Florida or Miami or Washington…who have won national championships in the past. But for Mizzou, national TV is still special, still a big deal…and still perceived as a benefit to an ascending program.