North Texas Cancels Classes Over A Week In Advance So Students Can Start Tailgating Early For USF Game

The North Texas Mean Green football program is excited to welcome the South Florida Bulls to Denton for their AAC showdown. So excited, in fact, that the university has opted to announce that it is canceling classes on gameday over a week out from the game.

UNT President Harrison Keller made the announcement that classes on campus will conclude at noon prior to kickoff between the Bulls and Mean Green on Friday. Not this Friday, as in October 3, but next Friday, October 10. Keller's statement about classes being let out early on gameday came on October 1.

"In the spirit of rallying the full Mean Green community, classes will conclude at 12 noon on Friday, Oct.10," the statement read in part. "Managers are also encouraged to work with employees who wish to adjust their schedules so everyone has the opportunity to join the pre-game festivities and fill the stadium in support of our team."

The nerds will claim this is a ridiculous decision by the university - A pLaCe FoR eDuCaTiOn - but it's honestly one of the greatest moves ever made. A little premature to make the announcement nine days in advance? Sure, but still awesome.

North Texas is enjoying a 5-0 start to the season, but we're still talking about a non-power four school in the Lone Star State. To say that the overwhelming majority of students and faculty on campus are either Texas or Texas A&M fans is not an overreaction. It's not much different than when I went to undergrad at Tennessee-Chattanooga; there are far more Tennessee fans on campus than people bleeding blue and gold for the Mocs. That's just how it works in football-obsessed states with major programs.

North Texas canceling classes well in advance gives students, faculty, and any other fans who want to attend the game ample time to get everything in order, get on campus to tailgate extremely early, and have what should be an epic Friday. It also motivates them to get to the game.

In the preseason media poll, the Mean Green were projected to finish eighth in the 14-team AAC, while the Bulls were slotted in at No. 5. Both teams have overachieved relative to expectations to this point, and an early cancellation of classes is the perfect representation of that.

North Texas is off this weekend while the Bulls host a bad Charlotte team on Friday ahead of their trip to Denton next week for the 6:30 affair.