Early kickoff time does a disservice to the high stakes of UCLA vs. Oregon

The Oregon Ducks enter the bye week with a ton of hype after knocking off USC on the road in a Top 25 clash that carried massive stakes. The Ducks needed a win, and now have made up for their slow start with a resume building Big Ten win over the Trojans. The hype is starting to come back around this group after their early struggles as many believe this team could still compete for a National Championship.

While the Ducks have built up a ton of excitement, former Pac 12 foe, and new Big Ten rival UCLA is one of the stories of the season. Bob Chesney has taken over the Bruins, and has raced out to a 4-0 start with 3 Power 4 blowout wins.

Both teams are now on the bye, and will face off in a top 25 clash on October 10th which will bring a ton of buzz. The only bad news is the game isn’t getting the credit it deserves.

Early kickoff time for UCLA vs. Oregon is outrageous 

On Monday Morning, CBS announced the kickoff time for the Top 25 clash, and shockingly UCLA and Oregon will play at 12:30 PM PT. 

Given the expectations around this Oregon team, and the way that UCLA has started the season, there’s no reason why this shouldn’t be a night game. There’s going to be a massive audience for this game with a ton on the line for both teams, and the intent by CBS was clearly to avoid going up against Alabama vs Georgia and USC vs Penn State for ratings.

Oregon will hopefully have quarterback Dante Moore back, but with the nature of his concussion, it’s impossible to speculate. Even if Moore misses the game, Dylan Raiola has shown that he’s more than capable of leading this team to a victory after his stellar showing vs USC.

UCLA looks like a program on the rise again, and Bob Chesney will be seeking revenge in this game. The Ducks ended Chesney’s time at James Madison with a 17 point win in the College Football Playoff, and now that he has a more talented roster, he’ll be looking to get back at Dan Lanning.

When you look at the remaining schedules for both teams, this is a pivotal game that could determine if either makes the College Football Playoff. After losing to Oklahoma State, it’s far too early for the Ducks to take a second loss with big games throughout the second half of the season. UCLA is still unbeaten, but faces Michigan and USC to end the year in games that could have massive stakes.

Oregon thinks enough of this matchup that the Ducks are unveiling new uniforms for the game while the fans have been instructed to make this game a blackout.

There are plenty of big games on October 10th, but this certainly should’ve made the schedule as a night game for CBS. Georgia vs. Alabama and Penn State vs. USC will be massive games in the night window, but Oregon’s game will also go up against the Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma. Opening Big Ten play with an afternoon game is a bummer, but if the Ducks knock off UCLA they should start to see more night games in the back half of the season.

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