No Rule Prohibiting Big 10 Night Games in November

[JonDMiller]

The long held notion that there is a Big Ten rule in place that prohibits night games after November 1st turns out to be a fallacy, according to this report on ESPN.com.

That doesn’t mean you are going to start seeing a slew of these games being played anytime soon.

As the article points out, the host schools are not thrilled about night games to begin with, as it costs them more money in security and is a strain on the cities.

But the fans seem to like them…and who wouldn’t want to see Ohio State at Iowa under the lights in prime time this year?

Well, perhaps some of you that travel to Iowa games from more than an hour away from Iowa City, which includes Des Moines…it’s not that far from the Quad Cities to Iowa City, or even Cedar Rapids. But the short 25 minute trip under perfect conditions from Cedar Rapids to Kinnick expands to well over an hour when you factor in normal gameday traffic…toss in the aspects of the night game and that can be increased.

The fans are the voices that deserve to be heard most, in my opinion. I am curious what you think about night games in general; do you like them? Do you prefer 11am starts, or 2:30pm starts or night games?

Kinnick looks stunning under the lights, there is no denying that. The start of the 2006 game against Ohio State was one of the prettiest scenes I have ever set my eyes on…the blimp shots that showed the crowd decked in gold were flat out stunning…Kinnick seemed like it was glowing.

The scene at the start of the Iowa-Michigan game from last year was also a great sight to see, as will be this year’s Iowa-Penn State game, which I think they could designate as a ‘Be Bold, Wear Gold’ game, as it will be played on October 2nd. Last year’s Michigan game was not a ‘gold out’ but a ‘black out’ and the reason given was that most Iowa fans have black gear for colder weather games, and the forecast was for cooler temps.

The Ohio State game in 2006 was played on September 30th…so we are talking about the same time frame.

Iowa vs Penn State with the Hawkeye fans decked in gold would be another great sight to see, and I hope it happens.

But what you do you think; do you like night games? What is your favorite kickoff time if you attend the games in person?

 

[Hawkeye101]

Like many, my favorite start time was 1pm, until all of the TV coverage changed those start times.

2:30pm is still my favorite, but I'd like to see a couple of the premier games be night games. Just makes for a more exciting atmosphere overall and yes, Kinnick under the lights is certainly an impressive sight (when everyone is decked out in gold that is...)

 

[whammer33024]

night games are by far the coolest setting there is. friday nights i drive from clear lake to ankeny to meet with my brother(about an hour and a half drive). then saturday we drive to iowa city(what is that like 2 hours?). so my second choice would be 2:30 games.

but there's just something about night games that is special...has that "x" factor. granted, last year was the first night game i've been to at kinnick...but it just had a different feel for me. black out with the gold pom poms just looked awesome. looking at the student section was amazing.

 

[HawkinGoferLand]

I love the night games, but that can mean a 3:30 KO in Oct-Nov too. 1 or 2 Home night games with 7:00 KO per year is good for me. I live in MN so we come down to Iowa Friday night (350 miles), and head to IC on Saturday am.

Please, please, please do away with all of the 11:00 KOs. Maybe 1-2 a yr. It really limits your gameday experience. We pretty much show up at 6:30-7:00 regardless of KO time, but with 11:00 KOs we don't generally grill, or at least not to the same extent.

The 2:30 & 3:30 KOs are awesome as well.

This is would be a decent mix of KO times for me:

11:00 am KOs: 1-2 games/season
1:00, 2:30, 3:30 pm KOs: 7-9
5:00 KOs: 1-2
7:00 KOs: 1-2

 

[Sirhouseman]

While I agree the '06 OSU game was the best atmosphere (and agree with you Jon one of the prettiest things I've ever seen) I personally like 2:30 games the best. Especially late in the year. By the second half Kinnick is fully under the lights anyway. You get the best of both worlds. There is still a ton of time for tailgating, and even some post game tailgating without having to worry about getting home long after midnight.
Don't get me wrong, I think the occasional night game is a treat, but I think it would lose it's luster if it became a regularity.

 

[HawkinGoferLand]

I understand the BTN and ESPN/ABC have agreements that prevent the BTN from having KOs that compete some of their broadcasts, but that agreement runs out eventually.

It would be nice to have a full day of B10 broadcasts with staggered KOs:

11:00 IU vs NW
1:00 IL vs Fresno St
2:30 MN vs PU
3:30 MSU vs UM
5:00 PSU vs WI
7:00 Iowa vs OSU

 

[masoncityhawkeye]

Personally I am starting to like the 11 am games.

Don't have to wait all morning for the games and I can get back in West Des Moines by 4:30 or 5 pm Saturday to spend some time with the kids

 

[Chickenlounge]

The only reason I don't like night games, is that some people who lack the necessary self-control get WAY too plowed before the game and either don't make it into the game (reducing the number of fans inside Kinnick) or act like such idiots that they're an embarrassment to Hawkeye Nation.

Other than that, I love Kinnick under the lights.

 

[okeefe4prez]

Each kickoff time has its advantages and disadvantages. The night kickoffs are really tough on my liver, but allow for maximum tailgatage. The 2:30 kickoffs are great because they do less damage to my liver and allow for well over 6 hours of tailgating, plus the opportunity to watch the 11 o'clock games while you're tailgating. I actually think the 11 AM kickoff is the best though because I think the Hawks are disciplined team and have an advantage against other teams when they play early. I can get adequately drunk between 6:30 and 11 and I like firing up some bacon and stuff for breakfast and then the post-game tailgating until around 4 or 5, then heading home.

 

[okeefe4prez]

The only reason I don't like night games, is that some people who lack the necessary self-control get WAY too plowed before the game and either don't make it into the game (reducing the number of fans inside Kinnick) or act like such idiots that they're an embarrassment to Hawkeye Nation.

Other than that, I love Kinnick under the lights.

Look buddy, it ain't my fault. My body is adjusted to 11 AM kickoffs and I usually pace myself that way. Sorry if you don't like it. If the school is going to add an extra 8 hours of tailgating, there are consequences.

 

[djwoody98]

Night games on ABC generally mean the Hawks are kicking tail and are getting great exposure. I'm all for that!

 

[JHHawk]

I agree with the overserved idiot-factor being way too high for nite games. It is so stupid to miss the game for that.
Perfect world,I would like to see mainly 2:30 starts after mid-october. Now,maybe OSU would be an exception this year. I have always liked the nite game at Minny in that last game...seems like you drain the last bit of fun out of the season.
September? 11 oclock for the cupcakes, 5 oclock for ISU, nite game at AZ..nite for PSU...great,avoid the heat of the day. I used to love the 1 oclock starts and still would prefer greatly over 11 oclock,but that ship has sailed.
One factor that has become moot for me....Iowa historically seemed to play bad at nite,but last season put that to bed for good,for me.

 

[DFaceHawkeye]

I think I like the 2:30 kickoffs the best. I live 3.5 hours from Iowa City and this makes the most sense for me. The night game against Michigan was a great atmosphere and I really liked all the tailgating, but that's a late drive home for us. The 11am kickoffs just don't allow me much time to get to Iowa City, since I'm also a high school football coach and cannot leave on a Friday night. If I have overnight plans, the night games are the best, but otherwise I'll pick a 2:30 kickoff any Saturday.

 

[IHawks2044]

I love night games for those earlier in the season because it is great to see the game played out under the lights. But for games that are towards the end of the year, such as this years Iowa vs Ohio St game, I actually like the 230pm starts. By the time you get to halftime of those games it is usually dark or getting dark out and you end up playing the second half under the lights which I love. Overall I would say 230 is my favorite start time, means you can get there around 8am or so and have a full day of tailgating and listening/watching the early games, then usually have a national audience for the Iowa game, and the game usually ends in time to watch the late night games. Thats just my prefered start time though, I will go to a game no matter what time it starts.

 

[nedisplacedhawk]

I drive over from central Nebraska the night before to Ankeny then drive all the way home after we eat at Flanigans, so for me the easiest are the 11:00 games. But the best are the night games. Followed very closely by the 2:30 games. Really I think having only 1 or 2 night games a year keep them special and only having them for the Michigan's, Ohio State's and Penn State's of the world only help. Yeah I know Syracuse was late but we don't play them often and after "the stand" the year before that felt special also.

 

[INTIMIDATORHawk]

I've had season tickets for a numbers of years, and I have attended 3 true night games at Kinnick: 2003 Arizona State, 2006 OSU, and 2009 Michigan.

There is one undeniable, indisputable fact regarding the night games: The crowd is TWICE as electric as they are during the day games.

There must be something about the anticipation and buildup to the game, but everyone is just on an adrenaline rush the entire evening.

There are obvious drawbacks to it. I understand the added costs to the University of Iowa. There are people who drink more than they should (but those people are at the games anyway, there are just a few more of them at the night games). The game ends late and the traffic congestion is a nightmare afterwards. I think it's because of how many people show up to tailgate that DO NOT have tickets. The number of people who do that is significantly larger for night games.

Overall, I think night games are more appealing to the fans. The atmosphere inside Kinnick is always more intimidating. The kickoff of the OSU game in 2006 sent shivers down my spine. It was absolutely amazing how electric that stadium was.

With all that being said, I think night games should remain few and far between. If there are more than 1 or 2 of them each year, the novelty will surely wear off. No need to exploit a good thing.

 

[Row55]

I think there are some people who've somehow forgotten what November weather can be like in B10 country.

 

[311hawk]

I live close to IC so I would rather see the marque games be 7:00. There is so much excitement for night games that it is hard to describe...its just better. I know the U dosent like doing it very much but it is great for the fans and great exposure for out athletics dept.

 

[Caven]

Coming from Nebraska I hate the 2:30 games. We try to limit it to one night in IC so for night games we can drive in Saturday morning and for early games we can drive in Friday night. Those 2:30 games are just at a bad time for driving that far before or after the game.

 

[pin2win]

traffic is a lot better with night games thats for sure.. i don't mind because im usually there at 6 anyways but for travelers im sure they enjoy the later starts get people coming in the city throughout the day