Thursday night could be monumental for Eastern football.

A win against Tennessee State clinches an outright Ohio Valley Conference Championship for the Panthers, their first title since 2006, and first outright title since 2005.

What’s more, the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU, giving the Eastern program a chance to show an audience of a much larger scale what it is capable of.

The scenario is similar to the mid-season contest at Penn State. That game gave the Panthers exposure in that it was in front of a national audience, against a prime-time opponent and in the largest venue possible.

But while that game was good for exposure, little remember any positives from the 52-3 thrashing at the hands of the Nittany Lions.

Thursday could be different.

The Panthers have a chance to showcase their program not only in front of a national audience, but also in the most positive way possible.

They will be favored to win and fired up to clinch their first league title in three years, and a big performance can go a long way.

Potential recruits from across the country will be tuned in Thursday night, whether it is in a casual manner or with a critical eye on the outcome.

If the team can put together a seamless performance and the athletic program can put on a show, it can have a positive influence on how potential students and student-athletes view the school.

Of course, the fans and Panther Nation have a lot of influence in this outcome.

The department has already announced a plethora of promotions designed to get fans pumped for the game (as if playing for a conference title weren’t enough). Included in these promotions are free Panther beanies for the first 1,000 students, an autographed Tony Romo jersey for the most creative sign, a Greek Olympiad, a canned food drive, and a promotion in which kids under 12 get in the game free with a paying adult.

It’s clear the athletic department is pulling out all the stops to get a packed house Thursday.

It’s not always easy to fill O’Brien Field once the weather turns cold, but if the turnout can be similar to the team’s home games against Illinois State, Eastern Kentucky or Tennessee Tech, that can only be viewed as a positive.

So it’s clear that success is imminent for the Eastern football team and program as a whole. Of course, for all these things to fall into place, the team must perform on the field.

They’ve done it all season long. Why should we doubt them now?

Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7944 or cfwhitchurch@eiu.edu.