Michigan vs Minnesota: 3:30/ABC

Submitted by Wolverine Devotee on
Per @umichfootball.

stephenrjking

September 15th, 2014 at 7:43 PM ^

Noon games involve setting a serious alarm and getting to the stadium tired. Plus: the Wiard's Donuts made sense because when you got there it was still breakfast time anyway.

As we moved into tailgating our noon-game tailgates involved breakfast. Had some good ones, too. You had to at 9am.

Canadian

September 15th, 2014 at 7:54 PM ^

Is there a table or something out there that can back this up? I wholeheartedly believe this to be true but need proof that's easy to display when talking to my dad who cries foul every time a non-noon start is anounced

StephenRKass

September 15th, 2014 at 5:03 PM ^

Everything is driven by TV and money. Because Michigan is a big draw in terms of viewers, ABC, ESPN, and the Big 10 Network pretty much dictate that Michigan will play at 3:30pm. This shifts a bit at the end of the season . . . Michigan will typically play at noon against Ohio and maybe the week or two before that. But 12noon starts in Ann Arbor from August through October are pretty much a thing of the past.

Blue Since B.C.

September 15th, 2014 at 5:36 PM ^

Agreed.  Of course it's about money and viewship.  

The thing that really gets me these days is that there are so many "marquee" games clustered in the 3:30 and 7:30 timeslots.  You literally have to be a remote-wielding ninja to navigate a 6 or 7-game lineup.  Last weekend I was flipping (on DirecTV) between channels 2, 5, 7, 32, 206, 208, 209, 610, 610a, and 611 from 3:30 onwards.  I mean, I can do it, because I'm that big of a couch potato/sports fan.  But I don't expect everyone to have those kind of skills and/or attention span.

 

B-Nut-GoBlue

September 15th, 2014 at 6:09 PM ^

Correct.  If I'm not mistaken, the NCAA guideline* says football games are for a 1:00 PM kickoff.  Now, since TV schedules came into play,  things were able to change via permission, moving games earlier or later for TV and other scenarios for school's benefits.  Anymore I don't think the whole permission thing is needed and it's a free-for-all by the TV networks in scheduling games. 

*See: NCAA Division III games, all 1:00PM games.

mgobaran

September 16th, 2014 at 9:43 AM ^

I was caught a bit off guard during a presser before the first game of the season. I think the question was posed to Brady about how different (and possibly difficult) it may be to go through game day preperations for such an early (Noon!) game.

I was even blown away that Brady answered this question genuinely! Almost to agree with the reporter that it was an early game. SMH coach. You're getting soft!

4godkingandwol…

September 15th, 2014 at 4:49 PM ^

... i've always loved earlier game times.  Especially now, living on the west coast, there is nothing better than eating breakfast, watching the game, then having the whole day in front of me.  These 3:30 starts (12:30 my time), really break up the day for me.  Oh well...

UMQuadz05

September 15th, 2014 at 4:53 PM ^

10 years ago, this would have been a noon game, and the big games that week would have been at 3:30, right?  Now, we get bumped up because all the marquee matchups are in prime time. 

At least Minnesota is a conference game.  Playing Miami at 3:30 was beyond ridiculous. 

Alton

September 15th, 2014 at 5:10 PM ^

Also, the BTN has changed things.  Ten years ago, there was one 3:30 timeslot for the Big Ten to use, and every other game had to be played at noon or after 7:00.

Now the BTN, with its multiple channels, shows games at 3:30 as well (like the Miami (NTM) game a couple of days ago).  So there are generally 2 or more games every week at 3:30 instead of just the one.

stephenrjking

September 15th, 2014 at 7:50 PM ^

Right. For years the ABC 3:30 time slot was the big featured matchup, and most other games were on ESPN/ESPN2 at noon. There was also a syndicated game at noon that was picked up by local stations. Most prime time games (before ABC started the prime time slot, they were almost never the best game of the day) were SEC, ACC, etc.

BTN changed a lot; so did ABC's move to a big 8pm game.

Schembo

September 15th, 2014 at 4:59 PM ^

I actually like 3:30 games sometimes, because you get to enjoy the night in downtown AA right after the game.  You get to start the tailgaiting later as well, which means you can drink it up on Friday night and get the full recovery.

LSAClassOf2000

September 15th, 2014 at 5:18 PM ^

If I've got something going on Friday night, the 3:30 PM starts actually seem to work better because I am not literally rolling out of bed and into the game like it seems sometimes - I used to be able to do that without blinking as a student, but about twenty years later, it's a bit taxing. Also, the 3:30 PM starts work better if the family is coming because I find it is difficult sometimes to convince two elementary-aged children and a wife whose obsession does not reach your level to get out the door quite that early. 

Zok

September 15th, 2014 at 5:17 PM ^

I'm taking the wife to her first Michigan game for Minny. Also going with another couple (husband/ my friend is from Iowa).

This will be my first "grown up experience" for a game though. All prior trips have involved going with old college buddies: getting hammered the night before, crashing at a crappy hotel, popping some advil the next morning and going to the game.

I actually have to figure out a proper breakfast/dinners and a tour of the campus for the non UM people.... a lot more work. Glad its 330 so we have more time.

 

 

Indiana Blue

September 15th, 2014 at 10:04 PM ^

must include #1) the Cube and #2) the Law quad (walk through the library).  

Plenty of options for food - though Pizza House is a nice place post game (note: it will be packed).  If the weather is nice we'll get Cottage Inn pizza and take them back to our tailgate for round 2 before heading back to Fort Wayne.

3:30 kickoffs equal a long day for us, but noon kickoffs are tougher with a 6:30am departure time.  But it's all worth it, only 7 times in 365 days.

Go Blue!

michgoblue

September 15th, 2014 at 5:21 PM ^

Pre-kids, I loved noon games.  Get up, only an hour or so to kill until the game, and then you have your entire day free after the game.  With kids, however, my wife and I are stuck DVR'ing all games and watching them at 8 when the kids are asleep.  To do this, we go on a complete media blackout (no cell phones, TV, places with TVs, etc) to avoid finding out the score.  Noon games make it pretty tough, and result in a full day of us stressing about finding out the score.  For 3:30 kickoffs, we only have to be on blackout for a few hours.  MUCH easier.  Of course for us, nothing beats prime time (other than the fact that we seem to lose most of our prime time games!!)

Perkis-Size Me

September 15th, 2014 at 5:21 PM ^

Maybe I should be, but I'm not that worried about this game. Minnesota can't pass to save it's own life, and their run game, while tough, should play right into our strength.

I don't know. Maybe I'm just naive.



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MGoLesher

September 15th, 2014 at 5:23 PM ^

There's something I love about a 3:30 game when it starts to get dark out near the end of the fourth quarter that it has basically turned into a night game. 

I dumped the Dope

September 15th, 2014 at 7:00 PM ^

behind the press box and some really great memorable plays have been made in the 4th Q over the years.

What I really like is that we have actual integrated stadium lights now.  I hated the big truck-crane-mounted light banks that got elevated over top of the stadium to keep the 4th Q lit for TV.  I realize that was a number of years ago...but it looked like old Tiger Stadium with its monumental light banks.  The new array with individual lights pointing every which way does a super job of illuminating without creating huge spots of glare.

On some days, I miss the grass field, and seeing the players get ever dirtier uniforms and having chunks of turf in their helmet bars.  You could tell when a QB was eating a lot of grass!  But by November the grass field was a disgrace, we had to license the turf genetic from Spartie and so I don't miss it overall.  Just allow me a bit of nostalgia now and then.

ThadMattasagoblin

September 15th, 2014 at 5:24 PM ^

Noon games are good because you get to watch the big games later on but I like the sun setting in the 3/4th quarter with 3:30 games. It seems to fit the drama of the game much better. It's the feel of 2004 MSU or 2005 PSU or 2007 MSU. I associate noon games with beat downs of lesser schools.

Number 7

September 15th, 2014 at 5:36 PM ^

three generations of Number 7 males* will be there!

 

*(not actual number 7s, though, who knows, maybe Rick Leach comes back for games.  I just mean that I'll be going with my Dad and my son)

JT4104

September 15th, 2014 at 5:53 PM ^

I dont mind 330 starts at all....I need quality tailgating time. Hell we started tailgaiting at 730 am down in South Bend and had a great time the entire day and it never seemed like it dragged on at all.

I'm not advocating doing that every weekend but I prefer 330 starts to be honest as I have always been a football is really fun to watch at night type of guy because my natural assumption is the crowd will be more rowdy and fun.

goblue20111

September 15th, 2014 at 6:11 PM ^

Love the 3:30 starts.  I can get a lot of other things done before the Michigan game and then watch it and carry on with football/going out for the rest of the day.  With noon games, I only get a few hours in the AM to get errands done and then after the game, I'm pretty much spent/am not going to do much else.