Playing on national television comes with a price for non-BCS programs these days.

Want to showcase your program and your university to the rest of the nation? Then you better be willing to bend over backwards for the television networks and play on non-traditional days and times.

Today’s game between NIU and Bowling Green is a perfect example of this, as the two MAC foes will play on a Friday night as opposed to the traditional Saturday afternoon game. The result, though, is an ESPN2 game at 6:05 p.m. and an immeasurable amount of exposure to the rest of the nation for each university.

NIU coach Joe Novak said he doesn’t like the idea of a non-traditional game day but understands what can be gained with the opportunity.

“If I had my way, Saturday is college football day,” Novak said. “I don’t like playing on Tuesday, and I don’t like playing on Friday. I don’t think any college coaches do. However, in this day and age, television is important to us. The money, the exposure; I mean, we don’t only get to show our football team, we get to show our university to the whole country for three-and-a-half hours.”

Another downside to a weekday game is the attendance. With many alumni and fans working on Friday, the non-student turnout is expected to be smaller than on a Saturday game, which has NIU urging students to go and fill the stands, Novak said.

The Huskies will also compete for fans with the local high school football games that are played on Friday nights.

As for the players who have class on Friday, they don’t have to attend, Novak said.

“I don’t want them running around campus all day and then going to play a football game at six, and I hope people understand that,” Novak said. “Some of our kids have exams, and they will be attending those or taking them early.”

NIU safety Lionel Hickenbottom is one of the players who will be in a desk just hours before he’ll be in pads and on the field.

“I’ve got an 11 a.m. math test, so I’ll definitely be there,” Hickenbottom said. “It won’t affect me. I know I’ll be ready. It’s going to be emotional, and it’s going to be physical.”