Wampus Cats at Bryant Friday, who's making the drive?

Regular season wraps up Friday at 7 at Bryant, and I'm trying to figure out how many of us are actually going to make the drive down. Cats are 8-1, 6-0 in conference, and ranked fourth in the state. Only loss was Bentonville back in early September, which at this point feels like a lifetime ago. I'm not going to pretend I wasn't ready to write the whole season off after that one, so I'll eat that now.

Here's my gripe. Everybody in town suddenly becomes a football expert the second we crack the top five. Where were y'all in September when it was 70 degrees at kickoff and half the home stands were empty by the third quarter? Rant over. Mostly.

I've been to Bryant a few times and the parking situation down there is not something I look forward to. Friday night traffic coming back up through Little Rock is a whole other thing too. I'd rather leave early, grab something to eat before the game, and not be stuck in a line of brake lights at 10:30. If anybody wants to carpool or meet up somewhere in Conway before we head out, say so and I'll probably go along with it. Just don't ask me to drive the whole way. Gas isn't free.

The bigger question for me is what happens after Friday. A four ranking should help the seeding, but I've watched this team find new and creative ways to make a playoff game stressful. Anybody have a read on who we'd likely draw in the first round, and whether it's a home game? I'd like to stay out of the Bentonville side of the bracket as long as possible, thanks. I know the standings and tiebreakers get confusing, so if someone who actually keeps up with that wants to break it down, I'll listen.

Schedule and results are on MaxPreps if you need to double check times, though knowing MaxPreps it'll be a day behind on the score.

So who's going? And is anybody tailgating, or is that just me hoping?

I'm going. Planning to leave Tucker Creek around 4:30 so we're not sitting in that Little Rock traffic. I'd rather kill an hour at a Bryant restaurant than an hour on the interstate 🏈

You're right about September. I was in those stands when half of them emptied out by the third quarter. Can't help on the bracket either, I only understand the tiebreakers when somebody else explains them.

If anybody's got room in a truck I'll chip in on gas. Shane, you're off the hook 😄

Ha, I'll take being off the hook. Though if there's room in the truck I'm not above riding along and buying dinner instead of gas. Feels like the better deal for both of us, and I get to complain about the Little Rock traffic from the passenger seat instead of the driver's.

4:30 is smart, honestly. I-40 around 5 on a Friday is a parking lot, and I'd rather be sitting in a Bryant restaurant with a plate in front of me than staring at somebody's bumper near the 430 split. Any place in mind down there? I don't know Bryant well enough to pick one that won't be slammed with every other Cats fan who had the same idea.

And glad I'm not the only one who noticed the stands in September. Funny how they fill up when we're ranked fourth.

Skip the restaurant hunt and eat in Conway before you leave. Any place in Bryant with decent reviews is going to have 40 people in Cats gear standing outside it at 5:30, and you'll be one of them. I'd rather tell you that than name a place and send you into the same line I'm trying to dodge.

Weather is the bigger deal. Early November in Arkansas means 74 degrees when you leave and 42 with a wind by the fourth quarter. If a front comes through Friday afternoon it'll be worse, and Bryant's visitor side isn't exactly built for shelter. Check the radar before you go, not just the app icon on your phone. Bring a blanket and a real jacket, not the hoodie you wore to the Bentonville game in September.

On Shane's September point, I'll be gentle about it. Some of us sat in those stands at 95 degrees with nobody around and we noticed. Tailgating I can't help with, but I'll buy somebody a hot chocolate if we're still up by halftime.

Eating in Conway is the right call. Bryant's visitor side has nothing to block the wind either, so bring the blanket. I'm in a stand at dawn Saturday so I'm leaving right after the final whistle regardless of the score.

Shane, I'm with Steve, eat here first. I'm skipping the drive this year, my knees quit on metal bleachers somewhere around October, so I'll have it on the radio in the sewing room.

The September crowd thing is nothing new, it was the same back in the 70s. Stands fill up when we're winning and thin out when we're not, and the ones who show up late are always the loudest. I still love 'em though.

Bring a real blanket, wool or fleece lined, not a throw off the couch. That wind will go right through a hoodie. Go Cats, and text somebody when you're past the 430 split so we know you made it.

Steve's advice on eating in Conway first is sound, and I'd add one more reason to it. If you plan to leave around 4:30 like Jacob said, a sit-down meal in town beforehand keeps you from arriving in Bryant hungry and cranky with everyone else. Fridays like that, I've had better luck at a place with a short wait on this side of the river than gambling on the other.

I second the radar point too. I skip the phone icon and pull up the National Weather Service Little Rock hourly forecast. The wind chill line tells you far more than the temperature does, and a front timed for 8 or 9 p.m. is the one that ruins a fourth quarter.

Before you leave, check IDriveArkansas for lane closures on I-40 and around the 430 split. Overnight work crews sometimes start early on a Friday, and a single closed lane at the wrong time turns a 45-minute drive into a long evening. 🏈

A thermos of something hot is worth the trouble as well. Go Cats.

Fine, I give up on the Bryant restaurant hunt. Eating in Conway it is. Greg, if you know a place on this side with a short wait at 3:45 on a game Friday, I'm all ears, because I've yet to find one. Everybody and their cousin has the same idea and then acts surprised at the line.

The NWS hourly forecast tip is a good one. I've been using the phone icon like an amateur for years and then wondering why I'm freezing in a hoodie. The wind chill line is what I'll watch, and if it says 38 by the fourth quarter I'm bringing the real coat and a stadium cushion. Metal bleachers in November are a punishment.

Jacob, I'll let you know on the ride. Barb, I'll text when we're past the 430 split, though if I'm texting from the passenger seat it's because the traffic was bad enough to give me time. And Steve, I'll take that hot chocolate if we're up at the half. If we're not, I'm keeping it to myself.