Although the Pac-12 is one of five power conferences, it lags well behind others in terms of viewership. Playing on the West Coast presents a unique set of challenges in a country that is primarily focused on the East Coast, and that has led to the conference considering some unique moves to try to boost the number of people watching. One of the most recent suggestions was shared by Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott at conference media days. Scott shared that he had held exploratory talks with FOX about moving some games to 9 a.m. PT kickoff times.
Pac-12 after brunch? League exploring games kicking off at 9 a.m. PT in 2019 https://t.co/6FPjxmhP2C
— ClevelandFootballTalk (@CFTalk) July 24, 2019
It’s a pretty radical idea and one that is probably not going to go over well with players and students that live for the tailgating experience. We have seen games kickoff at 11 a.m. in the Central Time Zone before, but a game kicking off a full two hours before that is something entirely new.
Preparing for a 9 a.m. kickoff would be brutal. For fans, that would mean starting your tailgate at daybreak if you’re going to the game, and it would also hurt local bars and restaurants where people congregate for the game. Even if they open early, many fans are unlikely to show up to get some nachos and beer three hours before noon.
Pac-12 coaches give thumbs up to 9am kickoff idea https://t.co/qF6TK0z602
— ClevelandFootballTalk (@CFTalk) July 24, 2019
Surprisingly, some Pac-12 coaches seem to be on board with the plan. Three voiced at least a tacit amount of approval when asked about Larry Scott’s plans at media day, and Chip Kelly and Kyle Whittingham seem to be very big proponents of the idea.
The start time does make more sense for schools in the Mountain Time Zone than it does for those in the Pacific. Utah and Colorado fall into the former category, and they have had some 11 a.m. kickoffs in recent years. Those two schools are very likely to be the hosts if the Pac-12 goes this route, so their fans are on notice.
H/T College Football Talk
