Eli Drinkwitz Explains Strategic Reasoning Behind Week 1 Schedule Change

Another factor into the move up is the increased television viewership the team can get by not having to compete with the rest of the Week 1 college football schedule on Saturday. It's also one of the very few Thursdays in the fall that is not dominated by the NFL, which doesn't begin its regular season until mid-September.

"You've got an opportunity to tell recruits, 'Hey, we're going to be on TV. Watch us.' You put your brand recognition on national TV," Drinkwitz said.

The broadcast designation for this year's Week 1 game against Central Arkansas has yet to be announced, but the last two Thursday season openers for Missouri were both broadcast on the SEC Network.

Past the marketing and fan engagement, Drinkwitz believes there are competitive advantages to starting the season three days earlier. He highlighted the fact the team gets to begin fall practices three days earlier, and also earns extra days to prepare for the Week 2 game.

In the past, the coaching staff has also used the extra days off to fit in some recruiting trips. However, that won't fit into the schedule this year for the team, according to Drinkwitz.

Even though it's just by three days, being able to start fall practices earlier does allow more flexibility for Missouri when putting together its preseason practice schedule.

This year, preparation for that Week 2 game will be especially important, with Missouri rekindling its rivalry with Kansas for the first time since 2011.

"There's a lot of benefits to doing it, and it's been something that's worked well for us," Drinkwitz said. "So we're going to continue to do it as long as the administration will support us."