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Optimal start time for a college football game?

Best time for kickoff?

  • Total voters
    90
sackman

sackman

Hates the Counting Crows.
Club Member
There was some discusson on the declining attendance thread about the weird start times perhaps contributing to the problem. It got me to thinking: What is the optimal time to start a college football game?

To me, it has to do with having adequate time to get up, get the car/van loaded up, and get to the tailgate site. They open up the lots about 4 hours prior to kickoff, and I usually try to get there between 3.5 and 4 hours ahead of time. So from that standpoint, an 11:00 AM kickoff absolutely sucks. It's breakfast with the Buffs.

Night games can be fun, but when it's cold outside and the game kicks off at 8:00 PM, you're freezing, in the dark. That's no good, either.

To me, the optimal time to start a football game is between 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM. If it's a night game, do it in the early months, so it's not so damn cold, and don't start any later than 7:00 PM. Don't have night games in November. That's taking a huge risk.
 
My kinda discussion. I've posted most of these thoughts before (here and at VT sites).

8:00PM on Saturday or Thursday is optimal for me -- the excitement at night, higher energy of the crowd and knowing that you're not committed to doing anything productive afterwards make that true. I would actually prefer Thursday night games because then I know I'm not missing any other important college games. Yes, late fall nights here in Colorado are cold, but don't we all own gear to make that tolerable? From reading posts here, half of AB members wouldn't hesitate to go skiing in colder weather than Boulder typically has on a November evening.

The biggest negative to 8PM games, IMO, is impact on families with kids who aren't going to be happy at all being up in the cold at 11PM. Taking kids to a Thursday night game is ever harder. I took my son to a Monday night NFL game once and there was no way he could've made it to school the next day.

Kickoffs between 12PM - 3PM seem to eat up my entire day with the game, which isn't always bad, but isn't my preference. 4PM is OK. I mentioned in another post that I went to a 10AM kickoff at AFA last season, which was awesome for a MWC game that nobody outside the armed services cared about, but I wouldn't want it for a PAC game.

Rant: any of the times mentioned are superior to Friday night college games. I take strong issue with colleges playing during what I consider to be the "high school time-slot" (says the guy still bitter about the ACC television contract).

191 days until the start of college football. Go Buffs!
 
I don't care for Thursday games. I end up taking off the following Friday just for the sheer sake of not wanting to drag my ass out of bed to make it into work the next day. That ends up being two days off, when I really would prefer to use my vacation days taking an actual vacation.
 
Poll choices too confining.
Between 1 and 3. Not a fan of Noon or earlier.
 
The 1:30 kick off is optimum IMHO. Easy to get a bite to eat and have a few "beverages" beforehand. One night game a year, preferably in September, is a good time as well. Multiple 8:00pm November PAC-12 Net "Dreg Slot" games sucked the proverbial wang.
 
DexBuffsteen said:
The 1:30 kick off is optimum IMHO. Easy to get a bite to eat and have a few "beverages" beforehand. One night game a year, preferably in September, is a good time as well. Multiple 8:00pm November PAC-12 Net "Dreg Slot" games sucked the proverbial wang.
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:stupid: 1:30 absolutely! No more NOV nights! They have always been the worst.
 
I prefer the 12-1 slot...perfect time for a beer buzz after 3 interferes with my nap, 7 on is good cause the black helmets are the S___ under the lights.
 
I like the 3:30 EST games. I have time to get to the location and tailgate properly, or if I'm at home enough time to do all the stuff I need to do so I can enjoy the game and not feel like a shlub for not getting the lawn mowed or the fence repaired. That way I can enjoy the game and even slack into the 7pm game. Most enjoyable. I went to some noon games at UCF and fried this year.
 
1:30 was the historical start time for CU games before TV started dictating start times. I prefer them a little later, so I can enjoy the tailgate a bit longer. Problem is, nobody starts a college football game at 3:00.
 
Afternoon starts are good. Late enough to tailgate....errr...Sackygate and yet early enough to party after a win. I think I remember how to do that !!
 
Mid-to-late afternoon start times for me. If you're going to a game you don't have to get up too early but have time to get to the game and do some tailgaiting or hit a restaurant/bar before the game and get home at a halfway decent hour. And if you're watching at home you can catch GameDay and then have time to do some stuff around the house or run a few errands before the game.

The closer to noon you get the less time that leaves for tailgaiting or pregame festivities/errands/etc. Noon kickoffs just seem too early and the crowd often isn't as pumped. And morning games are just wrong.

Evening games aren't bad, especially if they start around 5 or 6. Later starts just make for a very late night if you're going to the game.
 
3:30 ABC is perfect. Starts with a beautiful fall afternoon and turns into one of those electric night games when the sun sets. Always a big opponent, too.
 
IMO, night games at Folsom are far better if they are in September or early October. That night game at Folsom with USC last year was very cold. Games at Folsom in November should have start times somewhere between 1 & 3 PM. Yeah, thursday & morning games kind of suck.
 
InTheBuff said:
love 6 p.m. games .... even in November
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I am with you man...... Early afternoon games are not my favorite. 1:30 kickoff means tailgating commencing at 10-11. Which for those of us driving from 1-1.5 hours away means I gotta leave at 8:30-9. And not that I don't do it but drinking at a tailgate is much more fun at 3-5 PM instead of 11AM. And those complaining about the cold..... come on you're from Colorado. Wear a coat. How often is it really that cold in aug-nov? And if it is miserably cold I bet it would also be miserably cold at 1:30 too.... I seem to recall some KSU, Iowa St games that were 1:30 kicks that were the coldest I've ever been to. I had to get some objective data for this argument so check out the graph below. Keep in mind that the low temp here is likely around 4-5am not 9PM. So avg temp for a game somewhere in 40-50's for a night game.... Seems like football weather to me. Now I am not advocating for the 9pm or 10pm kickoff. I live in NC now and let me tell you staying up to watch a 12am kickoff sucks. Ideal time for me is the 5PM kickoff. Still done early (ish) and get to tailgate and drink in the sun.

daily_high_and_low_temperature_in_november_temperature_f.png
 
1:30 -2:30 start times are perfect. Enough time to not have to rush up to Boulder in the morning, the temperatures are most ideal at this time, and enough time to finish the game and enjoy a reasonably timed dinner and trip home to the metro area well before midnight.

I'd also qualify this with a single "black out" night game a season thrown in as it is a very special atmosphere that is more special when it isn't just another night game.
 
I love the 1:30 kickoff. Start Tailgating 8:30 -9 AM. Be home before 7 PM.

I got a cold at the CAL game this year and I had it for almost a month (I was sick for the USC game - I went but was miserable).
 
Hugegroove said:
IMO, night games at Folsom are far better if they are in September or early October. That night game at Folsom with USC last year was very cold. Games at Folsom in November should have start times somewhere between 1 & 3 PM. Yeah, thursday & morning games kind of suck.
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This.

Night games (on Saturdays) are awesome early in the season. Not so much in November.

I like to have both, though. Mix things up a little.
 
neil29fp said:
No love for the 4:30 start time?
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From 4-6 is my wheelhouse. As said above, you don't have to leave too early in the morning to get setup. Plus, if you're staying over, when the game gets over it's time for a late dinner and it's prime bar time. And, the late start allows you to watch all the early games, depending on your setup, whether at a tailgate or at pre-game bar.
 
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