Thursday night football discussion thread

An eventful night on the calendar for football of all shapes and sizes will kick off momentarily. From every single NFL team playing their final preseason game this evening to some intriguing matchups across the college landscape, there is plenty for Northwestern fans to watch.

Here are the most potentially compelling games for the Wildcat faithful to keep an eye on (all times Central):

• Cincinnati vs. UCLA (6 p.m., ESPN): Chip Kelly starts off his second season with a rematch against a program that won 11 games in 2018.
• Georgia Tech vs. #1 Clemson (7 p.m., ACC Network): The reigning national champions should beat the brakes off the first non-triple option Tech team in decades.
• Minnesota vs. South Dakota State (8 p.m., FS1): First Big Ten game of the year. Also, Minnesota is only favored by two touchdowns?!
• #14 Utah vs. BYU (9:15 p.m., ESPN): Kyle Whittingham’s squad will try to bounce back from their resounding Holiday Bowl defeat in the always entertaining Holy War.
• Saints vs. Dolphins (7 p.m.): Montre Hartage and Austin Carr might match up against one another as each battles to keep their apparent hold on a roster spot.

With all the Wildcats in the NFL, plenty of other preseason games should produce some Northwestern highlights, but Miami-New Orleans, to me, stands out slightly from the rest. Regardless, I’m looking forward to a packed night of football!

Dispense any hot takes, highlights, or other commentary you have to offer over the course of the evening below: