What's With the Slow Scheduling?

[GVGiant44]

With now less than two weeks to the beginning of the B1G football season, I'm wondering why the slate of night games has still not been released? Maybe my memory is short, and it never comes out this early. But my recollection is that we are first told the schedule of games, but maybe or maybe not a time and network is assigned to it - and by now we would know at least the former.
I know scheduling is different now. In years past, the latest you would find out what time and network you would be playing on would be on the Tuesday of the week before the game (~12 days before the game). Now waiting until the Sunday before the game seems to be becoming more and more common - putting a lot of strain on the people who have to make all the necessary preparations for the stadium and whatever else, depending on what time the game is.
Maybe I'm just getting impatient for SOME kind of significant news, in lieu of these last tortuous few days before the season begins. (P.S. As a long-time Comcast subscriber who now lives in Spectrum country, I'm really glad I don't have that headache on top of everything else.)

 

[guffus]

It really got worse starting last year in 2017 with the new TV contract that splits 5 games each week between FOX/FS1 and ABC/ESPN.

Now scheduling is just frankly a mess once you get past week #3. All you know is the date of games and don't know the times until a week or 2 before the games.

At least you know the first 3 weeks
NIU at 2:30 on BTN
ISU at 4pm on FOX
UNI is going to be a night game at 6:30 on BTN

 

[mopkins]

The only game out of the first 7 that is in question is the Wisconsin game. That's because it's likely a marquee game. The only comparable games that weekend are Alabama/texas A&M and maybe texas/TCU or Nebby/michigan. ABC and fox are just waiting to make sure Iowa doesnt lose to NIU or ISU first.

I'd assume the NW and Purdue games are either 11am or 230pm and the Illinois is likely an 11am game

So really IMO the only 2 games we dont have any clue about are Wisconsin and Penn state.

 

[uihawk82]

It really got worse starting last year in 2017 ...

Yes last year was 2017. haha, just kidding as I get to use one of my favorite phrases "the department of redundancy department".

 

[Xerxes]

The only game out of the first 7 that is in question is the Wisconsin game. That's because it's likely a marquee game. The only comparable games that weekend are Alabama/texas A&M and maybe texas/TCU or Nebby/michigan. ABC and fox are just waiting to make sure Iowa doesnt lose to NIU or ISU first.

I'd assume the NW and Purdue games are either 11am or 230pm and the Illinois is likely an 11am game

So really IMO the only 2 games we dont have any clue about are Wisconsin and Penn state.

I think Nebraska/Michigan has a good chance for the primetime slot that night.

Wisconsin has been far superior to both programs lately but Michigan is still a much bigger national brand than Wisconsin and Nebraska has the new hot commodity coach that was in the national news all last year and in the offseason.

Nebraska has Colorado and Troy at home. Neither team will be a pushover but neither a landmine as well.

Michigan has Notre Dame on the road.

If both teams are 3-0, ABC will be hard pressed to turn it down. Alabama/A&M will be CBS 2:30 or primetime. ABC won't be able to touch that.

 

[mopkins]

I think Nebraska/Michigan has a good chance for the primetime slot that night.

Wisconsin has been far superior to both programs lately but Michigan is still a much bigger national brand than Wisconsin and Nebraska has the new hot commodity coach that was in the national news all last year and in the offseason.

Nebraska has Colorado and Troy at home. Neither team will be a pushover but neither a landmine as well.

Michigan has Notre Dame on the road.

If both teams are 3-0, ABC will be hard pressed to turn it down. Alabama/A&M will be CBS 2:30 or primetime. ABC won't be able to touch that.

I never understand how Notre Dame and their NBC schedule works. Might end up a night game on NBC?

 

[okeefe4prez]

I never understand how Notre Dame and their NBC schedule works. Might end up a night game on NBC?

I thought all ND home games were on NBC along with their annual neutral site game like that year when they played Miami at Soldiers Field. Road games defer to media rights of the hosting team.

 

[mopkins]

I thought all ND home games were on NBC along with their annual neutral site game like that year when they played Miami at Soldiers Field. Road games defer to media rights of the hosting team.

That's how I assumed it worked as well.

 

[Unknownbadger]

It's getting ridiculous that the media is now getting more respect than the hundreds of thousands of fans that flock to stadiums every week. AND even those at home wanting to watch. Time for college football to get back to basics.

 

[okeefe4prez]

It's getting ridiculous that the media is now getting more respect than the hundreds of thousands of fans that flock to stadiums every week. AND even those at home wanting to watch. Time for college football to get back to basics.

Well, the media is the one stroking the biggest check, so they get to call the shots. Not totally apples to apples, but NASCAR has been in a slow motion death spiral and part of what they did is moved a bunch of races to 3 Eastern start times with the hope that it would pick up a bigger western audience. Of course, what has happened is they pissed off the remaining fans out east who won't go to races at that hour and cut the number of people who tuned in at noon or 1 Eastern out of habit so the TV market has consistently shrunk as well. It's an interesting case study that football execs need to consider as well.

 

[Unknownbadger]

Well, the media is the one stroking the biggest check, so they get to call the shots. Not totally apples to apples, but NASCAR has been in a slow motion death spiral and part of what they did is moved a bunch of races to 3 Eastern start times with the hope that it would pick up a bigger western audience. Of course, what has happened is they pissed off the remaining fans out east who won't go to races at that hour and cut the number of people who tuned in at noon or 1 Eastern out of habit so the TV market has consistently shrunk as well. It's an interesting case study that football execs need to consider as well.

This is what I'm getting at. College football is about filling stadiums and that CAN happen with the media if it isn't too worried about how many folks at home are going to watch it. Those that want to will watch it regardless of the time.

Yes, the media needs to stagger the games, but the games are there in plenty of time to let fans know when their game will be played. It's gotten to the point where you can't buy season tickets because you have no idea if you can make it to the game. Spending hundreds of dollars and then having to find someone to take a few off your hands for hopefully face value every now and then is NOT promoting the sport. AND NOT filling seats when the Universities and the surrounding areas are in direct competition with the media on Saturday afternoon.

It is ridiculous that we don't know what time the Iowa/Wisconsin game is a month from now.