In a season when Auburn has to play six top 15 teams in the final nine weeks, including three on the road, why would the Tigers schedule another road test at No. 20 Kansas State? And why would they want to play it on a Thursday night? Do they not know the history of ranked teams going on the road for Thursday night games?
"I’m all about winning championships," Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs told ESPN.com. "So when we went from 11 games to 12 games, I made the commitment -- that 12th game has to be a BCS opponent."
Jacobs, who is responsible for putting together Auburn’s non-conference schedule, has stayed true to his word. Since the schedule expanded to 12 games in 2006, the Tigers have played at least one power conference foe outside the SEC every year.
How did he settle on Kansas State?
The answer goes all the way back to the Tommy Tuberville era. Auburn first welcomed Kansas State to the Plains in 2007 as part of a home-and-home series. With Tuberville still pacing the sidelines, the Tigers scored two touchdowns in the final two minutes to rally and beat a Wildcats team featuring Josh Freeman and Jordy Nelson.
Auburn is hoping for a similar result when it makes the return trip to Manhattan this week, seven years later.
As for playing the game on a Thursday night, that was Kansas State’s call. It’s their home game, so they were the ones who initially pitched the change to Jacobs. He then checked with head coach Gus Malzahn, who liked the idea, and voila, the game was moved up two days.
"It worked out great for our schedule," Jacobs said. "It gave us a few extra days to rest for Kansas State and a few extra days to get ready for our next team.
"The other thing, too, is it’s on Thursday night, so everybody in the nation will be watching. We didn’t have a competitive disadvantage whatsoever -- us or Kansas State -- and it put Auburn versus Kansas State on Thursday night, ESPN."
Among those watching will be the College Football Playoff selection committee. The game gives Auburn an opportunity to impress the committee members on a national stage.
It’s also not 2008 anymore. If you remember, that was the year when seven top-25 teams fell to unranked teams on Thursday night, the same year Oregon State took down No. 1 USC and Pittsburgh knocked off No. 10 South Florida in back-to-back weeks. Last season? Just one top-25 upset took place on a Thursday.
Still, the Tigers should be weary of the atmosphere and the raucous crowd that will be awaiting them inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The game has been sold out since June.
"This will likely be our greatest attended game ever," Kansas State athletics director John Currie told the Wichita Eagle last week. "We actually have not sold standing room-only tickets, because we know our student section will be as full as it has ever been that night. Student attendance is highest on weekdays."
On one hand, Thursday’s game has all the makings of an upset. On the other hand, it’s the perfect challenge to prepare Auburn for arguably the toughest schedule in the SEC. Either way, it's must-see TV. And to think, it was first thought up almost 10 years ago.