Oregon Football: Ducks Host Arizona Under The Lights
Oregon Football has had an impressive season winning eight straight games and will welcome a 5-loss Arizona team for a 7:30 pm PT kickoff on November 16th.
While fans are showing their frustrations with another kickoff at night inside Autzen Stadium, the Ducks are a team on the rise in 2019. They are in the conversation for the College Football Playoff and may be even more so after LSU and Alabama face off this weekend.
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Oregon has not had a home game north of 4:30 pm all season and to find that you have to go back to September. Most games this season have been what I would consider games with late start times. October saw California and Colorado at 5 pm and 7pm respectively. Washington was a road game at 12:30 pm and the Ducks hosted Washington State at 7:45 pm.
Football has always been a sport run by television. You play when we tell you to play and your fans will accommodate the start time, but over the last few seasons of what seems to be an endless string of games after 4 pm Pacific Time, something needs to change. The Pac-12 Conference has tried to implement a plan to reduce night games throughout the conference. It clearly does not seem to be working.
Earlier today fans flooded the Oregon Athletic Department to complain. Where their voices heard? Only time will tell. For now, we look at a game against a 5-loss Arizona team at 7:30 pm on Saturday, November 16th. I fully expect the Civil War will also be later in the day. Last week Oregon State thrashed Arizona 56-38. The Beavers were on the road.
I guess for a team looking at the College Football Playoff as a possibility, a late start on ESPN is not a bad thing. Exposure is great – for part of the country. I don’t now many east coasters who will be up much past halftime, and in all likelihood the game may be over by then.
Oregon Football has a bye this week to prepare for the Arizona Wildcats who come in struggling losing their last four games. The Wildcats need two wins to get to a bowl game. The Ducks need to win to claim the Pac-12 North title.