Pac-12 To Eliminate Late Kick-Offs, Replace With Pre-Noon Kickoffs

Dec 7, 2013; Tempe, AZ, USA; The Pac-12 logo is displayed prior to the game between the Arizona State Sun Devils against the Stanford Cardinal at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Things got a little bit more East Coast friendly with Pac-12 Football as it was announced today that the conference will be eliminating 7 p.m. kick-off times and replace them with 11 a.m. time slots.

Benefit or not, there is good and bad that comes of this:

Pros

-More midday exposure to the East Coast. This effort will hopefully decrease the “East Coast Bias” that seems to infect the football rankings.

-During Winter, these time slots will be more advantageous to play during the day. Nobody wants to be in Pullman, Washington at 11 p.m. in November after a game gets out.

-Increase in overall viewership across the nation.

-Further outreach to recruits in the Midwest, South and East Coast.

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Cons

-Kick-offs before noon could have a negative effect on attendance.

-Fox Sports and ESPN have the edge on the marquee match-ups in the conference, so exposure through the Pac-12 Network is rendered moot. The East Coast pollsters will not be clamoring for Washington State versus Colorado.

-None of this matters with a limited viewing market. There are still cable providers that do not carry the Pac-12 Network.

-Early season 11 a.m. games could be hit with late summer heat.

Whether you agree with this or not, the Pac-12 has made it so. As Larry Scott wants to expand the brand, the televised viewing is a huge part of that. If it works, then we will be having 11 a.m. games for years to come. If it does not, expect immediate changes after the coming season is over.

Mike W.R.

Twitter: @TheBigDisco