The Kent community is preparing to send off the Kent State University Golden Flashes in style as the football team heads to Detroit this week for the 2012 Mid-American Conference Championship game against Northern Illinois Friday.

The university is hosting a rally for the team on campus at the MACC starting at 9 a.m. Thursday.

The rally will feature Kent State head football coach Darrell Hazell and a few members of the team, who will speak to the crowd, before loading the buses and heading off to Detroit.

Doors open 30 minutes prior to the start of the program, and fans can get their official Kent State postseason rally towels at entrances into the gym. At that time, fans can get an inside look at this historic season with the “One Team, One Destiny” video series, which will be playing on the video board. There also will be free coffee from Tree City Coffee.

Following the rally, which should last about 30 minutes, the buses are expected to travel through downtown Kent before hitting the highway to Detroit, Kent State spokesperson Emily Vincent said.

"The approximate time through downtown is 9:25-9:35 a.m.," Vincent said in an email. "The buses will come through downtown heading north on Water Street and then turning west on Main Street."

Downtown, AMETEK has replaced the eight international flags atop the firm's new building with Kent State flags to greet the team as they pass.

Matt French, vice president and general manager for Kent's division of AMETEK, said the flags will stay up through Friday's game.