Big Ten may drop Noon ET starts

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gorocks99

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Apr 1, 2011 12:19 PM
Written from a Minnesota perspective, so all times referenced below are CT:
Big Ten May Drop 11 a.m. Football Starts

Those dreaded 11 a.m. starting times for Big Ten football games may soon be only memories.

Big Ten schools located in the Central Time Zone, including Minnesota, have started many home games at 11 a.m. for years to accommodate the conference’s TV commitments. The network obligations haven’t been popular with many fans who found 11 a.m. too early in the day for their convenience or comfort.

Gophers athletics director Joel Maturi told Sports Headliners this week that a change for the coming fall is possible. “With the new negotiations that commissioner Delany has done with ABC, ESPN and the Big Ten Network, it looks very favorable that there may be a possibility that beginning as early as next fall we’ll be able to play at noon,” Maturi said.

If Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany is successful, no future conference games will begin at 11 a.m. Start times here could be noon, 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Maturi said all the athletics directors in the Central Time Zone realize “what a challenge” it is for fans to deal with the 11 a.m. starts. Maturi said a noon kickoff, or later when possible, better accommodates tailgaters, students and particularly fans travelling from outside the metro area.

A major college football start time of 11 a.m. Central is uncommon outside the Big Ten. Locally, the Vikings traditional start times are noon and 3:15 p.m.

Noon kickoffs for Gophers games this fall could help attendance. The Gophers have a chance to sellout all their home games in the 50,000 seat TCF Bank Stadium but that isn’t assured now.

Maturi said the renewal process for season tickets is underway and that will help determine how much ticket inventory is available. The Gophers have an appealing home schedule that includes Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin.

New coach Jerry Kill has a team that was 3-9 last season but Maturi said fans like Kill’s “genuineness.” Maturi hopes Kill's popularity will continue to increase.

“I think coach Kill has done everything right,” Maturi said. “I think people have really identified with him. I think people like him. People want him to succeed and give him a chance. We’re hopeful, again, with an unbelievably attractive home schedule that people retain their season tickets. ..."
http://www.shamasportsheadliners.com/
Apr 1, 2011 12:19pm
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bigkahuna

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4,454 posts
Apr 1, 2011 12:27 PM
I think this is alright because I remember how shitty it felt watching a game at 11am even though it was noon here. Everything felt a little off on tv.

With Michigan getting lights, I think every Big 10 team now has the ability to host night games correct? Isn't there a rule in place now about how schools can't play night games in November or something? If they'd lift that rule along with what's posted above, I think it'd be GREAT for the conference as a whole. We can't get much more exposure, but there'd definitely be more.
Apr 1, 2011 12:27pm
Heretic's avatar

Heretic

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Apr 1, 2011 12:29 PM
Good. Waking up early to start drinking by 11-11:30...man, that can lead to some long, painful days. 3:30 is a much more pleasant time if it's going to be in the afternoon.
Apr 1, 2011 12:29pm
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bigkahuna

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Apr 1, 2011 12:39 PM
Heretic;730588 wrote:Good. Waking up early to start drinking by 11-11:30...man, that can lead to some long, painful days. 3:30 is a much more pleasant time if it's going to be in the afternoon.

I think it's just going to affect the teams in the Central Time Zone, which ends up being 7 of the 12 teams. If Nebraska is playing AT Penn State, I think they can still start at 12 noon.
Apr 1, 2011 12:39pm
LJ's avatar

LJ

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Apr 1, 2011 12:46 PM
bigkahuna;730600 wrote:I think it's just going to affect the teams in the Central Time Zone, which ends up being 7 of the 12 teams. If Nebraska is playing AT Penn State, I think they can still start at 12 noon.

1pm, 4:30pm and 8pm (no biggie there) start times would suck on every game. I love College Football and all, but I have things I need to do on Saturdays
Apr 1, 2011 12:46pm
lhslep134's avatar

lhslep134

why so serious?

9,774 posts
Apr 1, 2011 12:54 PM
Doesn't matter to me. I'll be waking up early as hell anyways next year in Arizona to catch the Bucks.
Apr 1, 2011 12:54pm
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vball10set

paying it forward

24,795 posts
Apr 1, 2011 1:03 PM
I wonder if the OSU-tsun game will be affected? I believe it's been a noon start every year for the past 20+ years except for one
Apr 1, 2011 1:03pm
Little Danny's avatar

Little Danny

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Apr 1, 2011 1:09 PM
vball10set;730623 wrote:I wonder if the OSU-tsun game will be affected? I believe it's been a noon start every year for the past 20+ years except for one

It's started at 3:30pm for the past couple years.
Apr 1, 2011 1:09pm
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vball10set

paying it forward

24,795 posts
Apr 1, 2011 1:19 PM
no it hasn't...check your source
Apr 1, 2011 1:19pm
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thavoice

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Apr 1, 2011 1:22 PM
OSU and Michigan did start at 330 at least once.......maybe more I do not recall.
Apr 1, 2011 1:22pm
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BigAppleBuckeye

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Apr 1, 2011 2:57 PM
vball10set;730669 wrote:I know the '06 game started at 3:30, but I'd like to find out when the last one before that was?

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/fls/17300/old_site/photos/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/111806.pdf?SPSID=87745&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300

I may be very wrong here, but I swear I remember OSU playing Michigan at a weird time, like 1pm, one year ... can anyone back me up on that?
Apr 1, 2011 2:57pm
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krambman

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3,606 posts
Apr 1, 2011 4:17 PM
The OSU-Michigan game started at 3:30 in 2006 and was a 1:00pm EST start the two years before that. The last four years it has been a noon EST start. It's traditionally a noon EST start, but it hasn't always been a noon start, so it wouldn't be that big of a deal to move it back an hour.

This really doesn't change anything with conference scheduling except that the day games would be moved back an hour. Night games would still be at the same time. They aren't really dropping noon starts, they're just moving them back an hour.
Apr 1, 2011 4:17pm
gorocks99's avatar

gorocks99

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Apr 1, 2011 4:19 PM
Living the central time zone I would LOVE the change. 11am games are brutal.
Apr 1, 2011 4:19pm
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Writerbuckeye

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4,745 posts
Apr 1, 2011 4:30 PM
I loved it when all the home games on Saturday began at 1:30 p.m. -- but that was before television began controlling everything.

Don't look for them to lift the ban on night games in November...nor do I want them to. For fans going to those games, it just makes it that much colder and trickier to get home when it's basically winter outside.

You usually don't have the bad weather in October that you get in November, so I see no reason to play night games in November. Starting them at 3:30 in effect makes them night games, anyway.
Apr 1, 2011 4:30pm
krambman's avatar

krambman

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3,606 posts
Apr 2, 2011 2:10 AM
gorocks99;730793 wrote:Living the central time zone I would LOVE the change. 11am games are brutal.

When I lived in Chicago I drove up to Minneapolis one year to see Ohio State play at Minnesota. The game was an 11:00am CST kickoff, so I had to leave at 3:30am to make sure I got there in plenty of time to park, pick up my tickets at will call, and get into the game. There I was, a college student, going to bed at 8:00pm on a Friday night.
Apr 2, 2011 2:10am
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bigkahuna

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Apr 3, 2011 5:59 PM
^^^haha

I'm still confused though. Is this going to effect the ENTIRE conference or just the ones in CST? Can Michigan-OSU still be at 12 because both schools are in EST?
Apr 3, 2011 5:59pm
ts1227's avatar

ts1227

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Apr 3, 2011 6:04 PM
bigkahuna;731807 wrote:I'm still confused though. Is this going to effect the ENTIRE conference or just the ones in CST? Can Michigan-OSU still be at 12 because both schools are in EST?

I don't know if they have figured it out that far yet?

In terms of OSU/UM, 12 or 1 is still fine, it keeps it in that "day game" window easily. After all, the specific noon time thing isn't really "tradition", as it has only been like that for maybe 20 years, especially when writerbuckeye talks about how everything used to be at 1:30. The tradition is moreso that it's a day/early game, not a high noon game.
Apr 3, 2011 6:04pm
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georgemc80

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983 posts
Apr 4, 2011 10:50 AM
Live in the CST...I love the 11:00 start. Wake up, breakfast, do some yard work, shower, grab some well earned beer and enjoy the day of football.
Apr 4, 2011 10:50am
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Jughead

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Apr 5, 2011 7:22 PM
georgemc80;732293 wrote:Live in the CST...I love the 11:00 start. Wake up, breakfast, do some yard work, shower, grab some well earned beer and enjoy the day of football.

Doubt you live in CST as it is now CDT. However, I agree 100% that if I'd live on the west coast, I'd crack open a beer and watch football at 9 in the morning if I had to.
Apr 5, 2011 7:22pm
krambman's avatar

krambman

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Apr 5, 2011 7:34 PM
Jughead;733781 wrote:Doubt you live in CST as it is now CDT. However, I agree 100% that if I'd live on the west coast, I'd crack open a beer and watch football at 9 in the morning if I had to.

My uncle who played in the band when Archie was playing at OSU now lives in San Jose, CA. He and his family head to a sports bar in town that opens early on Saturdays when necessary as the official OSU bar in the area.
Apr 5, 2011 7:34pm
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georgemc80

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983 posts
Apr 9, 2011 9:08 AM
Jughead;733781 wrote:Doubt you live in CST as it is now CDT. However, I agree 100% that if I'd live on the west coast, I'd crack open a beer and watch football at 9 in the morning if I had to.

Haha. Let's just say I live in the central time zone then. I only drink before noon if I have broken a sweat. Of course it's not hard to break a sweat in Houston.
Apr 9, 2011 9:08am
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Cat Food Flambe'

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1,230 posts
Apr 10, 2011 6:14 PM
Now - will the NFL do something to prevent Monday Night games from starting in the middle of the night on the East Coast? :)

I love the Monday Night doubleheader at the start of the season - two Eastern teams at 7:00 Eastern, and a West Coast game at 10:00 Eastern.
Apr 10, 2011 6:14pm
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bo shemmy3337

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962 posts
Apr 11, 2011 6:08 PM
Any fan of OSU or Michigan should know when and how the times of the game are selected. It's been noon the past few years because Michigan did not have a good team and the "Bigger" games were to be on later. Remember OSU - Michigan is not the only rivalry on that day and the media wants to try and make sure everyone can watch the "best games" across the country. You have to realize that 99% of us would watch the game if it were played at 1AM so they are targeting the national audiences and are trying to choose games at 330 and later that fans of neither team will still watch.
Apr 11, 2011 6:08pm