An alert reader passed something on to me from the pages of the Dawg Vent some of you may find of interest, given our recent discussion about the number of noon starts Georgia has seen this season (and may likely see again in 2017 with that challenging home schedule).
– Early kickoffs are from Noon-1:59 pm. Mid-afternoon are from 2 pm-5:59 pm. Night is anything after 6 pm.
– Teams in EST average more early kickoffs than those in CST.
– We have had 14 early kickoffs in the last four seasons. Nobody else has had double digits.
– A team has gone a full season without a night game only twice. Us this year and Mizzou in 2014.
– Six different schools have had a season with no early kickoffs. Auburn has had two such season, and LSU has had three. In fact, LSU’s game this week with Florida is the first time they will kickoff in Death Valley before 2 pm in 4 years (and it may be longer, I didn’t look at kickoffs before 2013).
– Lowly Vandy has had as many mid-afternoon kickoffs as us and 9 more night games.
– Most teams aren’t playing their cupcake games at noon.
– Looking at the numbers, there is no way you can say schools don’t have any influence over kickoff times. In 2014, LSU never kicked off before 7 pm all season except for their bowl game. Kentucky gets more night games than other teams in EST to accommodate Keenland. We obviously ask for noon games or are passive and get all the noon games nobody else wants.
It’s even more graphic in a, er… graph.
Now some of this is the result of not generating an attractive enough product in the last couple of seasons to garner more broadcast interest at later times. But, in all honesty, the same could be said for several other conference schools. Georgia is the only team depicted there with the Early bar being higher than the other two.
As for the conclusion drawn, that would be a pertinent question to ask of Greg McGarity.
Get The Picture 
“Ward, there’s nothing good on the TV.”
“Don’t worry, June. It’s noon on Saturday. The Georgia Bulldogs are on.”
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“Wally, Beav, they brought back the Saturday morning cartoon.”
“Watch the bulldog fall off the cliff!”
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Yep… wholesome family fun. But hey… we’re having a blackout this weekend… at noon.
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I seem to recall an historic resistance to night games at Georgia especially those played in November. I specifically recall concerns of “inclement” weather and fans from South Georgia. In short, for better or worse, I think we’re getting what we’re asking for.
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I tend to agree with this….I just do not believe that we are constantly the last game picked as many weeks as that chart shows. We must request it. SEC Net at noon Saturday is last pick per the tv contract. Only noon exception is IF on ESPN..Ole Miss this year or the rare CBS nooner. I guess just be thankful we are not in the central time zone.
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As someone that is not a season ticket holder, I get offered more tickets to night games from my elderly uncle and friend of my parents. It works nice for me as they are often face value. I do believe there is some truth in UGA is get what they ask for.
Also I’d like to know how often UGA gets the noon game on ESPN or the the local channel (I forget which letters of the alphabet soup and I’m not looking it up). How many of the Kentucky night games were SEC network or worse ESPNU? The WLOCP is more less locked in at 330, which again I thought dates back to one night game under Dooley and a never again stance by the Athletic Department.
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UGA-Florida in 2002 was a night game.
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… and it was a testament to why that should not be a night game. There was way too much violence. The only sporting event that I have seen that was worse was Saturday night in the Talladega campground in 2000. At least three people were killed that night.
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More recent than I thought but exactly my point that the Athletic Departments would not let it happen again.
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No way the WLOCP should ever be a night game again. That game is the reason the schools attempted to get rid of the Cocktail Party moniker.
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maybe someone could file an open records……….
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Maybe the majority of season ticket holders want it this way. 12 is their new 1 pm start..which was the old 2 pm start…both before we even had lights. Traditions die hard round these parts.
Some other SEC teams have been playing under the lights for years before we even had any.
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That seems to make sense… but when has the administration given a damn about what the fans or ticket holders wanted in the last 10-15 years? They’re treating this whole thing strictly as a business, and in that vein, afternoon and night games are head and shoulders better than noon games. Eyeballs on televisions, asses in seats, branding, recruiting, etc.
I think its just another case of the administration, like with recruiting violations, being waaaay to accommodating to “the powers that be”, and only getting screwed harder for it. But really not caring as long as the check clears.
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We played Kentucky at night.
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On the road. No night home games since 2014 I think.
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mizzou last year was a night game…or maybe it was dark because of the death of modern offensive football…but I do think it was a night game.
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You are correct. That’s the only game I attended last year, and it was dark for both reasons.
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Georgia Southern was a night game last year, too.
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Yes, it was.
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LSU’s 2014 schedule was probably a response to a season (not sure exactly what year) where they played no night games in Death Valley.
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In 2011 LSU played no night games at home for the first time in practically forever. Their fans were very upset about it. They are as committed to 7PM starts as UGA seems to be to nooners.
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I wonder how fans at the other schools manage to arrive early and stay until the end of their games, no matter the kickoff time? They must all live on campus and have domes over their stadiums so they don’t melt. They also can’t have lives outside of their school’s football games like Georgia fans do. They don’t have life or death tee times waiting in them.
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I just don’t see us winning a title any time soon with the most casual fan base in the conference. I’m sure we’ll win a few more moral championships, though.
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I saw plenty of fans from both teams leave before either TD pass in the final minute of the UT game. Fans are people and people suck. Our people aren’t any more or less so. I’ll sit there when it’s 0-38. That’s not because of or in spite of who my team is.
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Who or what exactly are you responding to?
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Can someone please make sure Kirby Smart is informed of this?! Sanford was rocking as the night went on and you just don’t get that during early games. It is a huge competitive advantage
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Has UGA ever played Yech at home after 1pm? I can’t remember one if it’s happened.
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Yes. I was there.
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2002, 2004, and 2006 were all 3:30 kick-offs. 2010 was a 7:45 kick-off.
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I think 2012 was 3:30 too, but not sure.
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The school and the town are in favor of early kickoffs because it’s easier to manage tail gate trash and subsequent clean up, and it’s better for clubs and restaurants in town. And also because they don’t have a 1:00 option in the TV contract. As has been said many times, follow the $$$$.
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The town is not in favor (at least business owners downtown). They get more foot traffic in the stores on Saturdays when the game is later
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I have heard both trains of thought on this.. Late game, no dinner business..early game, more lunch business.
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Maybe affects the food business but as far as retail, there is more if its a night game. People shop before, but if its a day game stores are closed by the time the game ends.
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@Dylan: You beat me to the punch: Follow the $$$$$$. I am now going to look up how the $$ are split between the game times.
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Maybe it’s because they don’t want “hired” people knocking over trash cans and porta johns while the fans are attending a night game so it can make the front page and force the contracting of a local trash crew/new trucks which can now be justified as the lousy fans will be to blame for all of this perceived behavior from atop the presidential seat of UGA along with all this new found revenue yet we still attend the games with our wallets even though we are being blamed for the madness and then they can say no tailgating 5hrs prior on our nice lawns, so we can be less like the Grove or Death Valley and more like ND. Because some dude in a tie wants it that way, regardless of our dollars.
PS. Fix the traffic out of town. Its only 6 days a year.
Thanks.
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Holy runon sentence batman! Can we get a period somewhere in there?
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There were six periods. How many more could you possibly want? Because even some of them were unnecessary:)
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@Watcher16: Since this is the way my brain functions, I read right along. Now what that is that a statement to? As my wife states “You know what the hell you are saying, but no one else does. Usually followed by some curse words from her.
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You should have just thrown your trash in the cans that weren’t there.
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Noon games cost less. Fewer home games cost less, too.
The Georgia Way abides.
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I’m certain president Adams could be thanked for this….
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Georgia’s early game preference existed long before Dr. Adams.
More lucrative SEC TV contracts accelerated the move to later games for the rest of the SEC, while Georgia remained the outlier.
The 2010 season brought tailgating restrictions and a greater resistance to later start times from the university. Dr. Adams played a big role in it.
However, this policy is fully supported by the current administration, so expect to see Georgia to continue to run counter to the rest of the conference.
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Until around 1981 or thereabouts, 1:00 PM kickoffs were routine because we didn’t have any lights. It was also said that fans from South Georgia wanted to be able to leave Saturday AM and get back home that night so they could be in church the next morning. Folks from all but the southernmost counties could do that with a 1:00 PM kickoff with relative ease. So, yeah, maybe not noon kickoffs, but early afternoon go back a long ways.
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I don’t even need a 7 or 8PM kickoff but for the love of God can we at least fight for those 3:30-4PM slots on the SEC Network for once?
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Lots of variables involved here. Sure, if we have a better product we’ll get more 3:30 CBS and 7:30 ESPN games. But I can’t believe we couldn’t have had more pushback against the SEC Net for later games if we wanted. Four games, four noon starts. I’m ok with the cupcakes at noon, but wish we had lobbied for the 4 pm slot for Vandy and Tech. Hell, this week’s game is on the SEC alternate. Have to think we could’ve had our choice of noon, 4:00, of 7:30.
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We should get an answer in say, 90 days.
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@Aladawg: Plus a whole bunch.
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Might this be a “coaches’ special”?
Get the game over with by 3pm they can go eat dinner with their families and get a good night’s sleep?
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It’s sad that I look forward to the Tech game being in Atlanta because there seems to be a better chance of a late game (maybe I’m mistaken, but it seems that way). I’m a retail manager and a season ticket holder. The more noon games the less I’m able to attend because I don’t like missing an entire day of work. I went to UNC, UT, vacation for UF in AI, and went to the Auburn game. Didn’t go to Vandy (lucky I guess in hindsight), I will not be able to attend ULL (not shocking) or Tech (very surprised this didn’t end up an evening/late afternoon game). If anyone was at the UT and Auburn game both then you know the atmosphere was really different between the two. Sure UT was good, but Auburn was GREAT. Someone needs to get in Kirby’s ear. He seems to be getting what he wants. There is a definite increased home field advantage at night. Let’s get Kirby on the mutha…
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Maybe ADGM is looking to model the NFL more with exposure in England. These Noon-ers are evening games across the pond!!!
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I can’t believe that, early in the season, a UGA fan wouldn’t prefer a cool evening game over the burning sun. Get a room!
BTW, speaking of ‘Dogs, Englishmen, and the Midday Sun, I defy anyone to find a rocker with a greater career per amount of hype than Leon Russell. The sheer amount of well-known stars he worked with was phenomenal, and the number of quality songs he wrote, arranged, or reinterpreted was amazing.
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Englishmen detest a siesta
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Been saying this for years. For the games that CBS doesn’t pick, UGA lobbies to get noon kickoffs.
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Adams, Dooley, and now McNumbNuts are to blame for caving to a small group who did not want to change their routine from when we started at 100 PM for decades The woirld has changed since then, but not the Georgia Way. A lot of time is spent here about how UGA doesn’t do things to help it win, you can add this to the list. There is a reason why no other school voluntarily puts their fans in the heat and reduces the more electric atmosphere. The Central Time schools are against nooners for obviously reasons, but what other Eastern time zone team begs for the worst spoit other than Georgia? Not Florida, not TN, and not Kentucky. Just one, one program that says “give me the worst time you have, please!” Not surprising we win almost all those battles unless CBS takes us. And even then, it isn’t a night game, just another hot burner for fans at 3:30.
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For those in Dublin – noon is brilliant.
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…Georgia or Ireland?
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Ireland
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I remember when the kickoff time for all UGA football games was 1:30 pm–period. But that was in the days before ESPN and the TV networks called all the shots about scheduling. Frankly I miss those days.
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Yep,2-3 times a year on TV, really cool. Living in several different locations on the East Coast I could sometimes drivean hour or two and find a spot I could listen to Munson’s radio call as I sat in my car, or sprawled out on the hood at night (if we were playing LSU). Sure, we should roll the clock back or continue living in the 70s.
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