Tennessee students will have reason to celebrate the start of the 2016 football season. And by "celebrate," of course, I mean "prepare for" the Vols' game against Appalachian State.
Per an email released by Tennessee on Tuesday, classes for that Thursday, Sept. 1, have been postponed. Additionally, most campus offices will be closed. However, to keep the number of days in the academic calendar consistent, another day of class will be added at the end of the semester. The measures were taken to accommodate traffic, parking and security.
Tennessee AD Dave Hart on the cancellation of classes for the season opener vs. App. St. pic.twitter.com/fCVbpdcP1Z
— Barrett Sallee (@BarrettSallee) June 14, 2016
"I believe that everyone in the ongoing collaboration that led to this logistical conclusion feels good about the fact that we were able to meet our collective priority and not interrupt the academic schedule on that Thursday," athletic director Dave Hart said in a statement.
According to a previous announcement, the season opener will mark the "first time since 1938 that UT has hosted a Thursday night game." The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
Of course, if Tennessee wanted to get really crazy, it would cancel Friday classes. This way the celebration could continue for an entire day and lead into a three-day weekend.
That, or it could mark a day of mourning if the Mountaineers and quarterback Taylor Lamb decide they want to play spoiler all over again, a la 2007 against Michigan.
Either way, Tennessee students get a day off from classes early in the year to be made up at a later date. Here's betting they won't care too much which day exactly.
