Summary: We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: Support the football team.

For maybe the third or fourth time this season, the Daily Kent Stater editorial board would like to invite Kent State students to actually pay attention to the football team.

Sure, we’ve made this argument before, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a bunch of new, compelling reasons to convince you.

The Flashes football team is ranked No. 25 by the Associated Press — the first time the team has been ranked in nearly 40 years.

To add some intrigue, the last two Mid-American Conference teams to crack the top 25 this season — Ohio University and the University of Toledo — have lost the week after cracking the AP Poll.

Can the Flashes break that trend Saturday against the Bowling Green State University Falcons? You should watch to find out.

The athletic department rented three buses to take students to the game. If you don’t already have the ticket, you’ve missed out. The three buses will be packed full of students venturing nearly three hours to Doyt Perry Stadium in Bowling Green to cheer on the Flashes. We applaud the students who will brave cold weather and hangovers Saturday morning to board those buses at 7 a.m. in the Dix Stadium parking lot. You have done your part to support a team that will go down as one of the best in school history.

If you missed out on the bus trip, don’t fret. The game will be broadcast on ABC at 1 p.m. Go to Ray’s, Buffalo Wild Wings or Water Street Tavern and watch the Flashes in glorious high definition.

Don’t be afraid to throw on your Flashes football gear before you go. How often have we had the opportunity to represent the blue and gold proudly?

The DKS encourages responsible drinking while watching football, but we also acknowledge that beer tastes better when you are watching collegiate athletes smash into each other on television.

The cast of characters will be the same. The Kent State defense is led by a bevy of playmakers including Roosevelt Nix, Mark Fackler, Luke Wollet, C.J. Malauulu and Luke Batton. These guys are all over the field, and they seem to force turnovers at the most opportune times.

However, don’t let that list fool you. Other players on the defense have delivered in key moments during the season.

The Flashes offense is led by running backs Trayion Durham and Dri Archer — commonly referred to as “Thunder” and “Lightning.”

Durham lowers the boom on defenders with a bruising running style in the middle of the field. Once the opponents brace themselves for impact from Durham, Archer flies by them with blazing speed.

A Flashes win will clinch the MAC East Division and a berth in the MAC Championship Game in Detroit.

So, for what might be the second-to-last time this semester, the DKS editorial board beseeches you to support this team.

Alongside the team’s first bowl berth in nearly four decades, you might see something else equally rare — a group of people who will actually be happy about a trip to Detroit.

The above editorial is the consensus opinion of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board.