The B1G's Big 3 won't play any Friday games, while six schools play twice. "Look, there are just traditional places that want to play more on Saturday," Petitti said. "We understand and respect that."
Big Ten commissioner defends absurd Friday night schedule
- Thread starter Tango Two
- Start date
Big Ten football teams eager to play Friday nights on FOX
Oregon, Washington, UCLA, Rutgers and Purdue will all play two Friday games this fall.
Since I am no longer located geographically where I can attend the games, I love the the idea of Friday night games. A lot of Rutgers conference games get lost in the media coverage on Saturdays, and the Friday night games will give a lot more exposure.
Big dogs gotta eat. Could be worse. Could be demanding differential payouts.
Away game? Don’t really care. Other than how it affects the players with a shorter week and the travel.
Home game? As I have said previously…I’m cool with opening every LDW on Friday night here. Would volunteer for it.
Home game? As I have said previously…I’m cool with opening every LDW on Friday night here. Would volunteer for it.
In NJ, almost all of the high school games are played on Friday night.
Greg would prefer to play home games on Saturdays.
-vic
Greg would prefer to play home games on Saturdays.
-vic
It can follow a formula though -- play and win on Fridays. Win so much that the NY DMA is watching us. Then we don't play Friday nights anymore and get coveted Saturday national spots.
Might be good for us this year. More eyes on us with less games being played in general Friday nights. Gives us a chance to be in the national spotlight. Think Louisville Thursday night in 2006.
This was my exact point. People complained bitterly about Thursday night games 20 years ago but we got huge publicity playing those Thursday night games with national audiences. Sure beats 9 am starts on BTN that no one else sees
It would be hard for schools like Michigan, Penn St, Ohio St. etc. to play Friday night home games. Those schools get 100K+ fans, they travel from far and wide and schedule hotels rooms/airfare a year in advance. Much easier for schools like Rutgers to play Friday night since most fans live nearby.
If we want to be treated like Ohio State and Michigan we need to start stacking national championships and Heisman Trophy winners like cord wood, as they have.
Blue bloods get preferential treatment says Captain Obvious.
My two takeaways:
1. We've made it. He called us incumbent.
2. Some teams get preferential treatment.
I don't mind Friday night games but cross country matchups should not be on Friday nights. I've done a lot of scheduling over the years (leagues, 70+ team tournaments, etc.) so I realize not having Friday nights for cross country games is an additional variable, but it is
do-able
1. We've made it. He called us incumbent.
2. Some teams get preferential treatment.
I don't mind Friday night games but cross country matchups should not be on Friday nights. I've done a lot of scheduling over the years (leagues, 70+ team tournaments, etc.) so I realize not having Friday nights for cross country games is an additional variable, but it is
do-able
The Washington game is fine. If we can come in 3-0 that’s gonna be a jacked stadium
The 11 pm at usc is ridiculous
The 11 pm at usc is ridiculous
For some of those schools, ticket sales Friday night versus Saturday might be significant.
I kind of like both Friday and Thursday games. As long as they are 7pm or later. For those stuck at a desk still- may cut into tailgating and maybe tired the next day- but is that a big deal?
a good amount of people are now WFH and if you need to- is your boss that much of a hardon where they won't allow you to leave a little early?
And then you have all Saturday to either watch the other games or to do something else.
a good amount of people are now WFH and if you need to- is your boss that much of a hardon where they won't allow you to leave a little early?
And then you have all Saturday to either watch the other games or to do something else.
The b1g has a pecking order and we are not at the top of said pecking order…why this seems surprising to some is, in fact, surprising.
This^^^
I don't care if we open every year on LDW on a Friday night for the rest of my life. I'm not doing jack sh*t on that Friday anyway. Away I could careless as well during the season since my couch is nice and comfy and I'm not going to an away game on Friday night.
Now home on a Friday night during the season is tough with owning my own business. It's basically, come home shower, back into the car, relax in parking lot for maybe a half hour maybe not depending on traffic and into the game. Football games are supposed to be a relaxing activity for me, that's not.
wow. that's a bad take by the commish. "some animals are more equal than others"
a better take might be..
we take a lot into account with the schedule to maximize revenues for record-setting Big Ten shares that will give members the resources needed to compete at the highest level.
The Rutgers at USC at 11pm EST is really the only one that makes absolutely no sense. You've basically cut a lot of viewership numbers down just by the start time. Friday night games should be no later than a 9pm start EST. Look I used to love my after midnight PAC and WAC games, but I also understood not many beside a college football nut was watching.
Got no problem with the home schedule this year.
Well the usc game is later
The thing is for the argument hs recruits wont see us against usc
, every hs kid in America that played a game that night will fall asleep to that game or is partying with that game on in the background
Let alone have a winning conference record or actually fill our home stadium more than once per decade.
we win that VaTech game - the Wash game should be sold out, even if a Friday night. That may give us great momentum going into Neb and if we take that one from them- that UCLA game should be insane. If we are playing well this year- we should see our stadium rocking.
Also glad to see that our blackout is a night game.
I just don't get that one, they've basically tuned out the whole East Coast and probably a good chunk of the Midwest.
A major reason why the conference added the west coast teams was to have prime time west coast content for our media partners. If we want the big money, we have to keep our media partners happy and keep their schedules full with content.
Agreed. I would like to see how he defends a game that is scheduled to start at 11 PM and not finish until 230 or 3 AM.
We have 11 games on our schedule that are for us. This one isn't. The price of being in the Big Ten. A price which I for one am happy to pay.
If that were the case then why are MSU at Oregon, UCLA at Washington and Iowa at UCLA 9 pm starts? Are they not keeping their schedules full with content and maximizing the money those Friday's? It's a Friday night game, it's pretty much the only game in town, you can hold them at your will. 11 pm makes no sense you've already cut out a large portion of your viewing audience just by the start time. If you're worried about MLB playoffs simply don't hold one that Friday, there are only 9 Friday games and 14 weeks.
The USC game is at 11:00 because the B1G, likely with input from its HIGHLY COVETED new member, wanted it at 11:00.
That is that. There is nothing further to discuss. I don't mean to sound snarky, but really, there isn't.
Guys, cut it out.
The Big Ten threw us a lifeline.
In all their charity, they let us in.
You're not allowed to complain about trivial matters like when we play games.
Would you rather be back in the Big East???
Just accept it and deal.
Did I get that dumb argument, right?
The Big Ten threw us a lifeline.
In all their charity, they let us in.
You're not allowed to complain about trivial matters like when we play games.
Would you rather be back in the Big East???
Just accept it and deal.
Did I get that dumb argument, right?
Yes.
It’s a good point @GoodOl'Rutgers made earlier…we know it, they know it, just don’t say it out loud.
First it’s scheduling, then it’s possible revenue “balancing”, then it’s “why are you even here?”
@yesrutgers01 also had a good point for a little later start for the weeknight home games. Especially for one on Thursday.
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Because USC is an elite brand in great demand. The B1G expanded to get USC. The other west coast schools who came with them are paying a price.
Life is unfair. We at RU should know that, as we are a beneficiary of its unfairness. It is only due to accident of geography that we are not Syracuse or UConn.
That decision was very interesting. Some points to consider when trying to find the logic:
1) The reason the PAC had issues was the time zone problem. Their product was damn good.. especially last year. But the TV ratings could never compete largely being limited to games after all the other conferences east of them had played. On days when I watch a lot of football back-to-back and even flipping between games, I sometimes get tired of it.. I call it being "footballed-out". This game-time decision does not address such a problem at all.
2) Rutgers is in the Big Ten because of the NYC market. Advertisers pay a premium for eyeballs in that market. For years ESPN/ABC had control of Rutgers games and routinely made sure we wouldn't steal eyeballs from games where they wanted strong numbers from the NYC market. I haven't seen the other games that weekend, but maybe they are also clearing the NYC market for Saturdays games. A Rutgers game won't compete on Saturday. Also, younger eyeballs are worth more and a late-night game might be thought to attract the younger eyeballs still.
3) One would think USC is a premium product among the new Big Ten members. And they have a strong following in NYC, one might assume... just from a numbers game. Oddly, I think, USC does not visit Rutgers until 2026. Will there be pressure to play it at MetLife?
4) If you are USC, what do you care more about.. TV ratings or an advantage towards winning the game because of the late start time? If we take the Commish's word at face value regarding Saturday games and "tradition".. one would assume that USC should be given that same deference, if not for their n00b status. Perhaps the late start time was a way to mollify USC's objection to playing on Friday.
I think I favor number 4 as an explanation. They handled objections by USC to playing on Friday with a NYC market opponent and a late start time to give them a physical advantage in the game.
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