Games like these with USA

[Bigred_inSD]

If this is related to another thread and doesn't need it's own topic, feel free to move it.

Good
Football is expensive for all schools, if we can cut a check to those like USA, Idaho state FAU, to help them provide education and an outlet for kids so be it.

Builds confidence. I.E. drew brown, Newby probably gained some, Hovey

Work outside kinks for us

Bad
Injuries can happen, someone will find something to complain about (running up score, didn't win by enough. Sometimes that happens in the same game)

I don't think we should schedule these every yea, but it is nice having that one game where you can go in feeling confident about a win, and let's your team work on things to get ready for the meat of the schedule

 

[VA Husker Fan]

I'm pretty sure the main reason we schedule those games is that they will take a paycheck for coming to Lincoln and not demand a return game at their home, like nearly any major conference team will. If we only played major conference teams, we'd only have 6 home games out of 12 instead of 7 (8 in 2013). 85,000 tickets at $57 is $4.8M, less the student and faculty discount, and game day staff. Add concessions, and then there's the benefit to downtown businesses, and finally, no travel expense for our team and staff. Even after paying the other school we have to be clearing millions for our athletic department. As you say, the visiting school benefits by taking a big paycheck they wouldn't get from playing one of their peers at home.

I'm not sure that the game being basically a tune-up scrimmage is seen as a benefit or not. There's the working out the kinks advantage, but I wonder if technique sometimes gets sloppy when you have such physical superiority.