Guesses for NW Game Time?
I know the game time against Northwestern hasn't been announced yet, but does anyone have any guesses as to what time it will be? I'm trying to plan a trip to Chicago on Nov. 16th, but could only go to the game if it were a noon or 3:30 kick. Hoping it won't be a night game - thought they might have announced if it was a night game by now since those are often announced early. Thoughts?
October 8th, 2013 at 12:28 PM ^
Are you really interested in guesses about a game time start? Does it really matter when it starts?
October 8th, 2013 at 12:30 PM ^
It does for him.
October 8th, 2013 at 12:54 PM ^
You seem very angry all the time. Why?
It's not an unreasonable question. He/she may have plans to make in Evanston that are affected by the time of the game.
October 8th, 2013 at 1:01 PM ^
I'm actually very happy.
Anyway, that's fine and dandy if the OP has plans, but the opinions of people on this board won't have any effect on said plans.
October 8th, 2013 at 1:26 PM ^
may just be trying to spark conversation. The Board is dead, and it may not be that big of a deal, but it is a topic to discuss. The post could have just said "Let's talk about stuff" and had the same effect.
And for the record, I think Michigan at Northwestern may be a likely candidate for the BTN night game. Although it is pretty late in the year for night games in Chicago at that point.
October 8th, 2013 at 1:38 PM ^
Maybe someone has insight as to how likely a night game in November will be. Maybe someone has inside info that will help him adjust his plans and make the trip happen. Even if not, there's no reason to immediately hop in with a snarky comment just to win some internet points.
October 8th, 2013 at 3:43 PM ^
October 8th, 2013 at 12:32 PM ^
I can't imagine them sticking Michigan or Northwestern in there at night again. I think they would want to go down to see Texas Tech and Baylor. But then again I don't know anything.
EDIT: poster below has it right. Big Ten won't allow night games that late into the year.
October 8th, 2013 at 12:31 PM ^
October 8th, 2013 at 12:41 PM ^
It was either Dave Brandon or Jim Delaney who said that it's not a rule that night games cannot be played in November. One of them did say, however, that the Big Ten "prefers" no night games in November. I'm sure if there were a big game in November and the two athletic directors REALLY wanted to make it a night game, they would just tell the Big Ten big whigs they want to do it and it would be OK.
I read this on the Internet, so whether or not it's true is beyond me.
October 8th, 2013 at 1:34 PM ^
October 8th, 2013 at 12:33 PM ^
What little there is of the Week 12 slate is here -
http://espn.go.com/college-football/schedule/_/week/12
As expected, the only games that have times or networks associated with them at the moment aren't the high-demand games, but if anyone wants to see the potential "competition" for slots, it is there.
October 8th, 2013 at 12:39 PM ^
October 8th, 2013 at 12:41 PM ^
October 8th, 2013 at 12:48 PM ^
zulu time?
October 8th, 2013 at 12:49 PM ^
is 11a central time. Since I'm going I think I would actually prefer an early game ....
Go Blue!
October 8th, 2013 at 12:53 PM ^
One option - if you don't want to stress about planning your own trip for Northwestern - is the trip we are running for that weekend: http://www.sportspowerweekends.com/events/michigan-vs-northwestern-week…
Hotel, game tickets, tailgate, etc all covered. No need to worry about any of the particulars.
In regards to game time, remember it will be a central time kickoff. If I had to guess I would say 2:30 PM CT for the kick. It should be officially announced 12 days in advance.
October 8th, 2013 at 1:00 PM ^
have been night contests, which obviously is highly unusual for the program. So, they could opt for a night game breaking a conference tradition of no November games played at night.
TV dictates starting times and ABC/ESPN gets first pick on games they want to telecast up to a week before the game. November Big Ten games have been off-limits for night-time broadcasts forever, and the policy of relenting on that would mean the game had significant market interest or national competitive impact in the eyes of the rights holder. Let's face it, this won't be a BTN game broadcast, meaning ABC/ESPN will make the decision.
At this point, the slate of games that weekend is not overly dynamic. The Top 10 teams are all playing lesser conference opponents that Saturday, with this matchup being one of the best because it pits ranked teams fighting for divisional leadership within the conference. A win or loss could spell doom for the championship hunt for either.
That plus the Michigan factor in TV ratings along with the Chicago market and the competitive nature of the matchup automatically makes this a higher draw game for seeking ad revenue and markups.
So, it won't be a noon start. It will be a later start beginning at either 3:30 or 5 p.m. like this weekend's start in Happy Valley.
I doubt Michigan plays another early game this year outside of the traditional 1 p.m. start against Ohio, although that game time hasn't been announced. The more significant the game, the later the start, is the best way to look at it.
October 8th, 2013 at 1:03 PM ^
The traditional time for M/Ohio is actually noon, not 1:00 PM.
October 8th, 2013 at 5:12 PM ^
I would argue that the traditional time for The Game is 1pm and that the tradition was chucked out the window when TV started broadcasting double-header college games in the ... I'm going to say mid-80s. The 10 year war was likely ten years of 1pm kicks.
October 8th, 2013 at 1:08 PM ^
I think that's pretty good deduction, but if you think the Ohio game will start at 1pm, you might miss most of the first half.
October 8th, 2013 at 1:29 PM ^
could be a BTN game. BTN sometimes gets borderline big games during Big Ten play.
October 8th, 2013 at 1:02 PM ^
but I'm guessing they'll want it under the lights anyway. So 3:30 in November sounds about right.
October 8th, 2013 at 1:06 PM ^
October 8th, 2013 at 1:16 PM ^
October 8th, 2013 at 1:17 PM ^
It's between our game and the MSU/Nebraska game for the afternoon slot that week most likely. Really depends on future results, hard to really call it for sure this early.
I doubt it ends up at night, but if Michigan manages to go undefeated up to when the game time is announced and Northwestern doesn't lose any more, I suppose it's possible that the B1G would let them do a night game.
October 8th, 2013 at 1:19 PM ^
5 o clock.
October 8th, 2013 at 1:26 PM ^
Say 2pmCT FWIW
October 8th, 2013 at 1:27 PM ^
It's frickin cold enough in mid-November during the day along the lake in Chicago as it is. I'd prefer a 3:30 start overall. But, my wife and I are spending the weekend there, so in the end I'll make it work either way.
October 8th, 2013 at 1:29 PM ^
October 8th, 2013 at 4:38 PM ^
October 8th, 2013 at 4:55 PM ^