ABC/ESPN recently made selections for their portion of the 2013 Big Ten night game schedule, and not surprisingly, the Buckeyes will be featured prominently.
Urban Meyer wanted more games under the lights at the Shoe for recruiting purposes, and the Worldwide Leader In Doing What Urban Meyer Wants obliged. Ohio State will host two night games on Disney channels this season (Wisconsin on 9/28 and Penn State on 10/26) as well as a road game against Northwestern (10/5).
In addition, the Big Ten Network will most likely want to feature Ohio State at night as well, although the options are limited. Iowa’s visit on 10/19 is the most likely target and would result in four straight night games for the Bucks. Perhaps they’ll take a stab at something from the non-conference slate, but with the Cal game on the road (and therefore unavailable to BTN), there isn’t an obvious competitive matchup (although, you never know).
And then there’s the November portion of the schedule. There seems to be some confusion as to whether or not there is an actual policy against November night games in the Big Ten, but the “not” link is from this year and quotes Delany as being “supportive” of the idea.
Personally, I would 100% support moving The Game to a permanent prime-time slot, although to be perfectly honest, I wish every game could be at night.
I enjoy the occasional night game (Iowa a few years back was a lot of fun) but I’m a crusty old curmudgeon when it comes to moving The Game. The Game should start at 1 PM (screw those 12 PM kicks) and should be replayed again in the prime-time slot, provided the Buckeyes win by 20.
eK,
Being crusty as well, I agree. I may go for a 3:30 or so kick-off. Maybe..
The 3:30pm OSU UM game from 2006 was absolutely a classic…
I believe that game should be a primetime event. It’s THE GAME. Great exposure for the program. That matchup should never be hidden behind a noon kickoff.
Exactly. The all-day build-up to the Greatest Rivalry in Sports would be huge for both teams and the Big Ten as a whole. Put Nebraska/Wisconsin at 3:30 & PSU/MSU at noon and you’ve got a weekend that feels like the conference semi-finals.