The Colorado Buffaloes continue to rock around the clock this season.
Per college football insider Stewart Mandel of The Athletic, Fox has selected Utah-Colorado for its Big Noon Saturday game on November 16th. The kickoff will take place at 10 a.m. local time in Boulder, Colorado.
Fox has picked Utah-Colorado for its Big Noon game on Nov. 16.
10 a.m. kickoff in Boulder.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) November 4, 2024
Colorado’s head coach Deion Sanders has been vocal with his displeasure about the kickoff times television executives have given the Buffaloes this season. Specifically, Coach Prime voiced his frustration over the Buffs kicking off at 8:15 p.m. local time, or 10:15 p.m. on the East Coast.
“Who does that to us,” Sanders questioned a few weeks ago ahead of a late night kickoff against Kansas State. “Who has the power to sit up there and say ‘Yeah, I’m going to make them play at 8:15?’
“It’s not smart for a television executive to say we’re going to put this game on at this time because you’re thinking about eyeballs. You’re thinking about selling merchandise on the commercials. You’re thinking about all that. Why would you do it at that time when half of America is asleep.”
Ironically, Colorado has tended to get pretty favorable time slots so far this season. They’ve only played two games in that late night window, with every other game starting between 3:30 and 8:00 p.m. ET.
Now, the team will have to play a game at 10 a.m. local time. Of course, Fox’s Big Noon window has been the most-watched college football window the past several seasons.
It’ll be interesting to see whether Coach Prime will appreciate the increased spotlight on his program, or complain about the early start.
[X/@slmandel]
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.