You might have heard the term Zero Week (or Week Zero) bandied about lately. It’s not because there’s zero interest in football this week, that’s for sure.

The first week of the UIL football season is called Zero Week because it’s an optional week for teams to begin their 10-game seasons. By calling this Zero Week, everyone ends up the regular season on what is officially called Week Ten.

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It’s kind of deceptive, because it avoids calling it an 11-week season. Teams that play Zero Week and in the state finals will play for 17 weeks, not 16.

But the practical result is teams that choose to play on Zero Week, like LH, can afford a bye week – a week to rest and heal in the middle of the season. LH’s bye week falls right before district play begins.

Some coaches have resisted playing Zero Week, but they are finding themselves playing teams with a game under their belt in their opener. Zero Week is gaining popularity every year because of that.