Embrace The Bye Week

by Husker Mike on Oct 2, 2009 6:01 AM CDT in Football Comment 1 comment

Last week's fireworks display did little to satisfy fans' desire for more football.(AP Photo/Dave Weaver)

All week, it seems that wherever you go, it seems you hear complaints about no game this weekend. Now why I share the desire for a Husker football game, I'm choosing to embrace the week off this week. College football teams get to schedule twelve games each season over a three month period, so you know you're going to have an off week or two at some point. Just last season, Nebraska had already had one bye week at this point, and another one was awaiting just before Thanksgiving. Bye weeks are nothing new. So why the angst?

I'd attribute it to anticipation of next week's battle with Missouri. The match up against the Big XII North champions from the last two seasons represents the next step on the road back to respectability. Not to mention that the lopsided scores the last two season left a bad taste in Husker fans' mouths. But no matter how much fans want the Huskers and Tigers to meet in Columbia, we've still got to wait another week. And thus, a weekend without Husker football.

That's nothing new. We have these weekends every year. It's the weekend brides rush to get weddings scheduled. It's the perfect weekend to savor the season. Take the kids to the pumpkin patch or the zoo. Get all those fall chores that need to get done. Catch a little football on television. Maybe go visit the in-laws. Or take the wife and/or girlfriend out. All those things that you've been putting off in recent weeks because of football -- now's your chance to get them done. This is the weekend -- make the most of it.

No, this weekend is a little break from football that we all know we really need. Certainly the team isn't sitting around this weekend moping; they'll be practicing and preparing all weekend.

Now, next week is going to be the tough one. First we've got that darned Thursday night game. Darned because while I enjoy watching other teams play on Thursday night, I don't like my team playing during the week. Who the heck wants to spend a Husker football day at work? And with an 8pm kickoff, that alarm clock on Friday morning is going to be unwelcome no matter what happens the night before. That's going to be two really crummy days at work; one day trying to get something done at work with your game face on, and the next dealing with the postgame reaction on a short-night's sleep. Then guess what...another weekend without a Husker game. Except we just did all of that the week before.

Maybe that's why we're all uppity about no game this weekend. We know we're going to have to deal with two Husker free Saturdays the next couple of weeks, and we're not sure how we're going to deal with it. But deal with it we will, because that's what Husker fans do. We survived four years of Bill Callahan; two fall Saturdays in a row without the Big Red is a piece of cake comparatively.

What's your plan for the off Saturdays?

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