PSU Joins Michigan in Refusing Friday Night Games
Feelings about the University aside, it's good to have another influential school join in the fight against this terrible idea.
h/t Tom VH
Penn State has informed the Big Ten that we will not host football games on a Friday night. pic.twitter.com/6SH1tcvrw4
— Penn State Athletics (@GoPSUsports) November 2, 2016
November 2nd, 2016 at 4:22 PM ^
November 2nd, 2016 at 4:31 PM ^
This doesn't change anything. They said they wouldn't host earlier. Michigan is refusing to play on the road as well as at home. PSU still says they will play one a year on the road on Fridays.
November 2nd, 2016 at 6:28 PM ^
November 2nd, 2016 at 4:24 PM ^
November 2nd, 2016 at 5:55 PM ^
PSU needs that time to, um, watch them play.
November 2nd, 2016 at 6:05 PM ^
November 3rd, 2016 at 8:57 AM ^
Congratulations. I declare you the winner of the "Who Hates Penn State The Most" competition. You've persisted for many years and you've finally reached the top. You may now retire your well-worn phrase.
November 2nd, 2016 at 4:24 PM ^
PSU in any form actually
November 2nd, 2016 at 5:55 PM ^
Actually, they are already busy on Friday nights, cuddling with their life-size Paterno sex dolls...
November 2nd, 2016 at 4:25 PM ^
Looks like they bent a bit on the away games (no more than one per year). I really hope Warde keeps his foot down on this - no home or away Friday games for Michigan. There's just zero reason for us to agree to a Friday night conference game. We can still get all the exposure we want on Saturdays, and our fanbase travels very well which would be surpressed on a Friday night.
November 2nd, 2016 at 4:34 PM ^
I agree, this isn't high school or conference who gives a shit, this is the big ten, we play football on Saturday.
November 2nd, 2016 at 5:04 PM ^
. . . ferrgodsakes!
November 3rd, 2016 at 6:30 AM ^
November 3rd, 2016 at 11:40 AM ^
Love it. Friday night relegation.
November 2nd, 2016 at 4:26 PM ^
Good. Now OSU needs to wake up. Buckeye fans should flood Gene Smith's inbox with complaints.
November 2nd, 2016 at 4:56 PM ^
Have they agreed to play on Friday? I just assumed they would approach it just as we have.
November 2nd, 2016 at 5:08 PM ^
Gene Smith (basically a slightly less obnoxious version of Dave Brandon) has indeed agreed.
“We are supportive of it,” Smith said of move. “We battles for a long time to try to be respectful obviously for high school football. But the reality is what we need to do for our television partners and what we need to do for our revenue stream, we needed to consider some different options.”
http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2016/11/02/big-ten-movi…
November 2nd, 2016 at 5:15 PM ^
Since the metropolitan Columbus MSA has more than 2 million residents the traffic for a Friday evening game would be probably be difficult at best.
But Gene Smith is a total dufus............I am frankly astonished that he is still in that postion. But it's Ohio State so.........whatever.
November 2nd, 2016 at 5:46 PM ^
"be's" so double check the text before hitting "Save" but I won't down vote you.
The intent was admirable, the execution not so much.
November 3rd, 2016 at 12:45 AM ^
November 2nd, 2016 at 7:06 PM ^
at Urban's pleasure.
November 2nd, 2016 at 7:53 PM ^
This is the man that said he hoped Tressel (the lying scumbag) didn't fire HIM.
November 3rd, 2016 at 10:05 AM ^
I thought that was the actual president of the university, E. Gordon Gee?
November 3rd, 2016 at 11:37 AM ^
That was the uber-jackass Gordon Gee (he of "one of the greatest wins in OSU history" after they tied Michigan one year) who said that.
November 2nd, 2016 at 8:26 PM ^
Did this man graduate from any kind of educational institution? That statement was barely coherent.
November 3rd, 2016 at 9:34 AM ^
You might as well stand on the street corner, with your hat out, asking for donations, while "Money" plays in the background. That is a joke that osu's athletic director publicly states that the Big 10 has to, essentially, trample on the tradition of high school football, because they need to make more money. Are there no bounds to the greed of the ncaa, athletic directors and networks? I know the answer to that.
Here are a couple other reasons it's a bad idea:
*I think the NFL is finding out, now, that, even America has a saturation point with football, and it will happen with college football, as well. At some point, you just have to say, "let's keep the status quo, for a while."
*As mentioned by other posters, the conflict with high school games goes well beyond a time conflict. It impacts attendance, finances, access, visits, etc. If you want football, on a Friday night, go to your local high school. You'd be amazed how good of an experience it is.
*Whether you buy into the concept of "studen-athelete", or not, Friday games mean 1 less day of class, for one team. I would think, the Big 10 would like to maintain a leadership position in something academic-related.
November 3rd, 2016 at 11:34 AM ^
Scrapping traditional game day experience to pander to "television partners" and explaining decisions based on maximizing revenue stream . . . I think Gene Smith and Dave Brandon just both swiped right.
November 2nd, 2016 at 4:28 PM ^
It's not a terrible idea... for Rutgers, Maryland, Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Northwestern, and maybe Minnesota. Michigan, Michigan St, Ohio St, Penn St, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Nebraska all have proud fanbases, solid to elite football tradition, and don't need to resort to Fridays for eyeballs.
The lesser half of the B1G would benefit from some spotlight games instead of being buried on BTN or ESPNU on Saturdays at Noon every week. If it doesn't effect Michigan (or our peers in the conference for that matter), why is that so bad?
November 2nd, 2016 at 4:37 PM ^
Do you think fans of those schools want to play a home football game on a weekday? Every college football program has its share of fans who drive long distances to get to the stadium. What are they supposed to do? I doubt any conference fanbase actually likes this idea.
My objection is twofold: 1) I don't want to subject any Big Ten fanbase to this kind of treatment and 2) I fear that we'll be asked to do likewise in due time. The fact that OSU has given in is not encouraging.
November 2nd, 2016 at 5:35 PM ^
You say subjecting like this is some form of torture. I don't think Maryland, Rutgers, Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, or Northwestern would suffer. Those programs share more similarities with the types of teams playing on weeknights now and could stand to benefit from the boost in profile as well as the potential atmosphere of the night game.
I've never heard Louisville, Iowa State, Virginia Tech, Utah, etc. fans complain about weeknight games. Most of the talk around them is about the extra juice in the crowd and increased chances for a home underdog upset. I also think you're seeing this through a Michigan fan's glasses. Those stadiums are half as big, and have considerably fewer "weekly traveler" fans.
Sure, I don't think there ever should be a Thursday/Friday game at the Big House, but it works for most of the country. Why is it so wrong Indiana to play at Rutgers on a Friday night?
November 2nd, 2016 at 5:44 PM ^
November 2nd, 2016 at 6:55 PM ^
It's as simple as this: Would you rather go to a game on a work day or a your day off?
My ability to enjoy attending Michigan football games would be greatly compromised if my gameday routine involved hustling out of work, fighting rush-hour traffic and scrambling to get the game on time. I can only imagine this is also true for fans of other schools. I imagine most Indiana, Minnesota and Northwestern fans have to go to work on Friday also.
Some fans may tolerate this but it's hard to believe anyone would prefer playing on Friday to Saturday if they had the choice. This is, once again, television being this insatiable beast that keeps demanding more concessions from fans, intruding ever more on our gameday enjoyment. We've already let TV dictate kickoff times on Saturdays and insert so many commercial breaks that games last 3 1/2 hours, and now that's not enough? Where does it end?
November 2nd, 2016 at 9:17 PM ^
At first I was dead set against Friday games, but confess I'm intrigued by this extra juice thing. Are we talking extra Pepsi or hot chocolate or Jaegermeister, or everclear and meth?
November 2nd, 2016 at 4:44 PM ^
I think the overall problem with this idea is that it isn't exactly new. There are three or four games every friday night. And while most of them are of the top tier MWC/AAC variety, the ACC and Pac 12 have each played or have scheduled a few of these Friday night specials this year. Washingon/Stanford was even a top-10 matchup on a Friday night. Given the other competition, I don't think a Friday night game gives any second tier Big Ten school meaningfully more attention than being in more competitive Saturday slots.
November 2nd, 2016 at 4:57 PM ^
I'd lump MSU in your first group. I mean, they are one of the schools that are desperate for whatever media attention they can muster.
November 2nd, 2016 at 6:48 PM ^
I'd lump nobody in any group.
Sometimes, less is more. NCAA football hasn't suffered what is going on in the NFL in terms of viewership, but it can and will if over-saturation continues. The games are already too long, reffing is terrible and it costs a fortune to attend at the better programs. Many schools are having trouble filling their stands and student attendance is on the decline.
So, instead of making a market that is already saturated less so, they do just the opposite. Another wonderful move by Delany.
The only exception I might make is a Sunday night game on Labor Day weekend before the NFL starts their regular schedule, and then only if I were force to or lose TV sponsorship.
November 2nd, 2016 at 8:00 PM ^
I have a hard time disagreeing with any of that. My previous comment was really just poking MSU with a stick, as I am wont to do from time to time.
November 2nd, 2016 at 5:33 PM ^
Sorry, but it is a terrible idea. Friday games are far more inconvenient for the average fan to attend than Saturday games. That doesn't stop being true just because your program happens to be in the bottom half of the B1G.
Let the MAC play during the week.
November 2nd, 2016 at 5:40 PM ^
There are 2-3 B1G weeknight games in week 1 every year now. I haven't heard anything about tiny crowds due to inconvenience. Also, it's done byevery other conference at this point (although the SEC is very particular about it as the B1G appears primed to be).
November 2nd, 2016 at 5:55 PM ^
That's a one-off thing around Labor Day weekend. It's not an every-week thing like Delany wants to shove down our throats.
The league's functioned just fine for 100 years playing on Saturdays. I've never heard of a B1G football fan complaining about having to go to a game on Saturday. Have you?
I don't care if Fox or whoever wants this. Delany needs to grow a freaking spine already and stop selling out every chance he gets.
November 2nd, 2016 at 5:36 PM ^
November 2nd, 2016 at 4:27 PM ^
November 2nd, 2016 at 4:29 PM ^
November 2nd, 2016 at 4:45 PM ^
Let the Group of 5 schools get that exposure...do we REALLY have to take that from them too?
I like MACtion on Wednesdays. I think another conference should take Tuesdays, another Thursdays (I know you're going up against Thursday Night Football, but a lot of people still don't have NFL Network and you have others who prefer CFB anyway) and another for Fridays.
It gives us college football fanatics are fix even if we're watching CMU and Kent St. duke it out. It gives those conferences some shine they'd never have on a Saturday even if it's their major team (how many Saturday Boise St./Western Michigan/Houston games have you seen this year? Likely some, but it's not like it'd be in primetime)
- C-USA Tuesday
- MACtion Wednesday's
- Thursdaily Double (American *7p game* / Mountain West *10:30p game*)
- SunBelt FunBelt Friday's
Make it happen college football.
November 2nd, 2016 at 5:09 PM ^
Weekday NCAA games were created by television and greatly benefitted some conferences that weren't well recognized. Since college football games are some of the best television sports events on the tube the concept became attractive. I recall not knowing much about West Virginia until I started watching them on Thursday nights. Those games provided much needed exposure for them.
It's a real treat to watch the Thursday night games and now the MAC games on weekday nights. Friday nights are cool as well.
But we don't need any of that and Saturdays are just a wonderful day to enjoy the entire game day experience. There are a lot of folks that are in line to get parking and partying arriving at 7:00 at all of the parking lots, including AAGO and Pioneer HS. It really doesn't matter if our games start at noon or 3:30, though I recognize that some have strong preferences. The day is a "Happening" at any start time on Saturday. I really enjoy just walking around the golf courses to observe the absolute greatest experience of fandom that I see in person.
Michigan doesn't need exposure. All of our games are televised on ABC, ESPN or B1G.
It's good for the conferences that you listed, but we simply don't need it. Further, it really would detract from our fabulous Saturdays........we have only seven or eight of those games a year and it would be a loss in many fans' lives to have one less each year. I would really miss that one Saturday event.
Go Blue!
November 2nd, 2016 at 5:46 PM ^
It hasn't always been lesser leagues. I vividly recall Florida State taking their first ACC loss to Virginia on a Thursday night. I'm fairly sure the Barbers were playing for Virginia and Warrick Dunn was the FSU back stopped on the goalline. So that had to be mid-1990's.
November 2nd, 2016 at 6:12 PM ^
1995.
November 2nd, 2016 at 8:23 PM ^