Why will it take three days to play six state championships this week?

Each of the last two seasons in Bowling Green, game dates for the Russell Athletic/KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl were displaced with short notice because Western Kentucky University’s own football success enabled it to host the Conference-USA championship game.

There was no chance of that conflict ever happening at Kroger Field, which will host all six games this weekend. However, a glance at the game schedule prompted a question from many: Why is one finals game being played on Sunday when multiple games will be staged on Friday and Saturday?

The shortest answer: Nicholasville Road.

“If you’re from Mayfield or northern Kentucky, you might not understand what we’re saying when we say, ‘Nicholasville Road,’” KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett said in a phone interview earlier this week. “Put our fans that don’t this every day in reversible lanes, where the traffic changes at certain times and you’re trying to get them into a stadium. We deliberately from the get-go ... tried to figure out a way not to play during the reversible-lane time, at least this year.”

Game times and dates are a constant battle regardless of where the football championships are held, but scheduling was uniquely difficult after the KHSAA decided in May to move the games from WKU’s Houchens/L.T. Smith Stadium, where they’d been since 2009, to Lexington, which will host the games for the first time since 1976.

Bringing six football games for the first time to a campus of more than 20,000 students and a city of about 300,000 citizens presented enough challenges without introducing Nicholasville Road’s unique traffic pattern into the mix on Friday afternoon. The KHSAA could revisit the finals format in future seasons.

“There’s a whole bunch of people moving around the whole time. You’re competing for the same roads and access, so you’ve gotta watch what times you play,” Tackett said. “ ... We just didn’t think it was wise to try and play three games on Friday. There’s a little bit of a revenue impetus there because you’re taking a hit there.”

Travel time for the 12 participants remains a constant concern of the KHSAA, but the move to Lexington has significantly reduced travel for most schools participating this season. The average mileage traveled by teams will be 99 miles; an average trip to Bowling Green would have taken 163 miles. Only two teams — Franklin-Simpson and Mayfield — have longer trips to Lexington than they would have had to Bowling Green.

Decreased travel will hopefully mean big attendance figures. Gross revenue from advance ticket sales is up this year compared to last season, but general-admission tickets also cost more and several high-dollar club packages have sold well.

The increased ticket cost includes parking for the event, which Tackett said will result in a net price that’s cheaper overall for most fans coming to the finals. He offered some insight into the economic decisions the KHSAA makes.

“We still think we’re the cheapest, best entertainment dollar around, watching citizens and people from your own city and county perform,” Tackett said. “The events that you leave feeling the best about were well-attended, had good weather, had no sportsmanship issues and everybody walks away wondering when they can buy tickets for next year. That’s what you’re looking for. ...

“We’re the only state association that doesn’t get money off the other rounds, so we depend on these state championships. So financials definitely matter. We’re in a strong population area with a draw this year that, if you believe the pundits and look at the playoff attendance, it looks like we could have a really good draw.”

This story was originally published November 30, 2017 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Why will it take three days to play six state championships this week?."