What’s With All the Late Kickoff Times?
Nov 1, 2014; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs Head Coach Dan Mullen reacts to a call during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Davis Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Am I just getting old, or are these late kickoff times not your favorite either?
Last week it was announced the LSU game would kickoff at 8:15. Earlier this month it was announced the Southern Miss game would kickoff at 9:00. The game at Missouri will be played on a Thursday night at 8:00.
Those are some late kicks, especially when night games typically start around 6-6:30.
If you’re in college, like 25-30% of our readers are, you’re probably excited about the late starts. The night doesn’t even get started until 10:00 anyway, right?
Well, I’ve got two kids under three years old – something that ages you in dog years, so I’ve become someone who does not care for these late kickoffs. With these young kids I’m most likely going to be watching the game from home, and I’m on Eastern time….so the aforementioned start times are actually 9:15, 10:00 and 9:00 (on a weeknight) for me.
Of course, if I still lived in Jackson and was going to the games…and planned to drive back that night it would really be a chore. It’s not that staying up until one or two in the morning is that terrible – it’s the fact that my body is so adjusted to waking up in the six a.m. range every day and going to bed at 10 p.m. On weeknights I’m dozing off after dinner – it’s going to be tough to keep myself alert for these late kickoffs and fresh the next day.
Caffeine doesn’t do it for me. I could drink two cups of coffee 15 minutes before bed and have no trouble going to sleep.
The problem with these start times is that I’ll reach a point around 11:00 where I am in a fog of consciousnesses, and I can’t focus. For someone who spends all summer dissecting the team and looking forward to football season, that’s so disappointing.
On college football Saturdays I generally stay up until midnight watching games – but at least half the time I doze off for a 20-30 minute power nap around 9:45 or 10:00. If the Bulldogs are playing I can’t get that kind of break.
As much as I am focused watching game action, as sure as the commercials come around I’m bound to be lulled to sleep. I just can’t help it. I see other people in their early 30s moving around like the energizer bunny and I don’t know how they do it. I don’t know if I’m an early old timer or they’re just masking their real energy level in hopes of regaining that feeling of being 21 again.
Over the last couple of years, having very young children has been a good way to keep the game action going. You see, I am not one of those people who has a problem hitting the pause or rewind button on the DVR. If you have to go to the bathroom – hit the pause button – don’t miss a play in 2015! So when it’s time to help my wife put the kids to bed (which is a 30 minute process), I just press pause long about the 2nd quarter or so of a typical game start time. Then when I come back I can skip the commercials all the way until the end of the game…or at least until the 4th quarter. By the time the game is ending I’m caught up.
I will make due for the LSU game. It’s huge, I’ll be ready. But for Southern Miss and Missouri I just don’t know. Honestly I’m thinking of watching the first half, then waking up at 5:00 and watching the recording without the commercials (it moves so much faster). I’ve done this a few times with non-MSU games that I wanted to catch the end of*. I just turn my phone off so there’s no way I can learn the outcome and watch the 2nd half the next morning when I’m fresh.
I don’t know what I’ll do for sure, but I do know I’m not too pleased with the late kickoffs. I don’t care if it’s Saturday night or not – I go to bed at the same time every night. I can’t watch the NBA Finals, the World Series or anything I’d like to (except the Superbowl – this is why the NFL are geniuses) because it’s on too late. College football has always been a safe haven for good kickoff times but now my own Bulldogs are starting to touch toe to leather while I’m brushing my teeth and rubbing my eyes.
*if you were thinking I was lame while reading this piece but my ending a sentence in a preposition bothered you, you’re lame too my friend.