Since Thursday night college football games were introduced more than 20 years ago, that day of the week has become an accepted time for games to be held.

The first Thursday night broadcast was in 1984 between Brigham Young University and the University of New Mexico. At the time, officials from the American Football Coaches Association and from the high school ranks were concerned about weekday games' effect on high school football. They figured if Thursday became an accepted practice, Friday might not be far behind. They were right. But the effects everyone feared haven't been realized.

In the decades that followed, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University has made a habit of playing Thursday games, this year playing back-to-back Thursday tilts against Boston College and the University of Maryland, College Park. It has developed into enough of a tradition that many Virginia Tech fans plan their vacation days around the Thursday games.

Virginia Tech has appeared in 13 ESPN Thursday night telecasts, and their fans aren't surprised to see at least one scheduled each season.

"I like it, and I think our kids like it," Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer told the Washington Post recently. "I think it's the equivalent of Monday night football in the pros. You're the only game on, or at least you're the most important game on television."

Virginia Tech, which is 12-1 on Thursday nights, made its first appearance in 1994 as a member of the Big East Conference. The Hokies have appeared in a bowl game every year since 1993. Beamer, whose university switched to the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004, believes the exposure his club gained through the nationally televised games has helped his team become one of the national powers in the sport.

"If you play well, (midweek games) are a tremendous recruiting advantage," Beamer said. "If you're playing on Saturday, you're competing against five games in your time slot."

Craig Thompson, commissioner of the Mountain West Conference, recently signed an agreement with College Sports Television (CSTV) that gives his league's teams more exposure on Saturdays, but also allows for several Thursday games.

"People have associated Thursdays with college football," he said. "There is very little competition. What I envision for future Thursdays is that there will be an ESPN game, and a CSTV game involving either the Mountain West or Conference USA. On the majority of the 14 Thursdays in future schedules, there will be a CSTV game on that night."

-- Greg Johnson