The Cardinal football team played its first game under permanent lights in 2004, attracting a record number of spectators. But for the next two years, fans complained that the cost of the lights wasn't worth it because the university only scheduled one night game per season.
Well, 2006 will be the year of the night game at Ball State University.
The football schedule released this week indicates the first four games of the season will be night games at home, giving fans the night-game fix they've been asking for.
It's also a good reason for students to start attending games in record numbers week after week.
In addition, those night games should be spectator-friendly - a bit of a change from many of last year's home games.
The 2005 schedule pitted Ball State against some of its hardest non-conference opponents right up front, meaning the team entered conference play - and the season as a whole - already defeated. That made for a relatively unenthusiastic season, even after the team started winning later on.
This year, however, the season will open with a game against Eastern Michigan University, which Ball State defeated last year by a single point, and the second game will be against Big Ten member Indiana University. If attracting crowds and building school pride is the point, this schedule is much more likely to reach those goals than last year's.
Ball State sports need a pick-me-up, and this kind of scheduling for one of the most popular seasons of the year is going to get the hype going.
But the key ingredient, as always, is student involvement.
Next year is not the year to tailgate and go home; this is not the schedule that'll leave you ready to hit the road by halftime. The 2006 season can be the year students go all out and show off every ounce of Cardinal pride they have - it'll look good under all that stadium lighting.
Next year will be the year to turn our apathy into enthusiasm.
It's the football team's responsibility to give students something to cheer about - and this schedule gives them the opportunity.
Lights, crowd, action.
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