We were in Chicago this weekend for the Wisconsin/Notre Dame game, and we realized, while trying to make our way around Soldier Field to the South Lot at 10:15 in the morning after leaving the place we were staying at 8:15, that it was our first 11:00 AM kickoff. We’d been to noon NFL games before, but never the 11:00 AM college game, and whoa boy, were we not about it at that moment. It was so darn early. So darn early. But in the end, it was…kind of nice?
Tailgates are great, both before and after games, but when you can do both, they’re especially great, and with nowhere to be for hours after the game ended, it turned into a great afternoon. Ate some brats. Drank some beers. Pondered whether God hates the Wisconsin Badgers or if He just makes it seem that way. Got back to the apartment in time to watch the end of one of the 2:30 games, plus the primetime slate. Not a bad day.
Now, to be fair, there was beer sold in the stadium, which isn’t the case at every college game. That helped. Nice to not worry about a third-quarter hangover making every replay review feel like the TSA line. But at the same time, Soldier Field’s hard to get to, meaning the pregame would have been more enjoyable if the game were most other places, which I think evens this all out.
Overall, I think I’m in favor of morning college football. I don’t know if I’d do the Pac-12 thing and start a game at 9 AM, but I’m not as opposed to it as I was Saturday morning walking past College Gameday and cursing its very existence. The networks might be villainous (except for CBS, where you know you will always get a spiritual college football viewing experience), but this area of their villainy has some upside.
I finished watching this game and still had like an ENTIRE day ahead of me. Managed to do chores, go for a run, visit some apartments, buy an office chair, come to an agreement with ATT to give them more money as long as they transfer my 1’s and 0’s at a higher speed and volume, AND made 3 attempts at hot honey.
I’m a fan of morning games.