Why Can’t We Swing the Night Game?

General NCS Football22

In this entry last week, Jeff said the following:

Hopefully you occassionally take time to peruse our dynamic list of links on the right hand side of the blog. About a month ago we linked ABC/ESPN’s 2006 Television Schedule under “Football Resources”.

At the time, we did not highlight the fact that the NC State vs Akron football game on September 9th was scheduled for a noon kickoff on ESPNU. That is a middle-of-the-day NOON kickoff in early September when temperatures in North Carolina often exceed 90 degrees.

I looked at the ESPNU schedule and it doesn’t seem that there is a game scheduled for that evening on the network. Does this game REALLY have to played in the middle of the day as opposed to a 7pm or 6pm evening game?

These comments are more insightful now in light of the fact that it has been announced that the very next week Carolina will host Furman on the very same ESPNU. Except Carolina’s game has been prudently scheduled for 7pm as opposed to noon.

Updated/Related: RAWFS Blog entry on the topic

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General NCS Football

22 Responses to Why Can’t We Swing the Night Game?

  1. CarnifeX 06/23/2006 at 8:15 AM #

    Only 2 nationally publicized games, weak. Especially when one is on ESPNU(nwatched)

    SFN – I guess that you are not aware that most of the nation’s television schedule after the first 3-4 weeks of the season isn’t announced until 10 days prior to the weekend the game is played? In fact, if State and Clemson are both having a great seasons, there is a super chance that the Wolfpack @ Tigers would be picked up as the ABC Saturday night primetime event.

  2. PBdafan 06/23/2006 at 8:22 AM #

    Too bad its not going to have a bigger audience – the Akron game will probably be the Pack’s most competitive game of the season. It will be all downhill after that.

  3. PBdafan 06/23/2006 at 8:40 AM #

    It looks like a few of my posts have been nuked. No problem, I understand this is a blog and not a message board, but here’s the deal:

    I’m totally pissed by the Pack’s continued abysmal performances in football. State is a major university institution, and there is no reason for it to have a program that stinks. People that think this could be a good season are out of their frigging minds. We stunk when we had 3 First Round draft choices. How the hell do people think we’re going to do better than that?The same mediocre QB is still there, the same miserable receivers are there, the same guy who cannot coach a team to save his life is there, and the core of the defense has left. But at least recruiting give us reason to be optimistic about the future? Hell no.

    People need to stand behind their team through thick and thin, but there is no deal when it is thin, thinner, and thinnest!

    SFN – ^Your comments are fair. We appreciate your understanding of the manner in which we moderate the comments.

  4. smfrank 06/23/2006 at 9:17 AM #

    What is real disapointing about this too is the killing of the atmosphere of college football. Early in the season, when we play these weak teams, it’s great to get out there and tailgate, shoot the bull with some friends, toss some football, drink some beer, eat some chicken and get pumped all day for the upcoming season.

    Even though we’re playing a weak team, you get a full day of enjoyment out of it by being able to experience the atmosphere that comes with college football and I love it. This is shot in the head now by putting the game on ESPNU, which constantly plays only Duke & UNC comercials here in Raleigh. It really blows that we have come to a world where scheduling is based more on television than it is on the sport & fan’s enjoyment.

  5. StateFans 06/23/2006 at 9:36 AM #

    ^Those are some great points. The “excitement” of getting out to C-F for the entire afternoon (which helps balance the fact that we are playing a non-marquee name) is totally eradicted when you play Akron at flipping noon.

  6. joe 06/23/2006 at 9:47 AM #

    It’s simple, UNC has a national following because of their BB success so even their average to bad FB team gets better time slots.

    SFN – that’s not true at all. UNC’s television ratings for football are no larger than NC State’s

  7. Champs 06/23/2006 at 10:35 AM #

    ^I might could understand this logic IF we were actually competing with another college FB game for the better time slot but in this case we aren’t!

  8. Wulfpack 06/23/2006 at 11:43 AM #

    I don’t see how having the Akron game televised does anything god for the program. We constantly are under-performing against inferior competition. What’s worse, Carter-Finley will be 35,000 strong. Wow. That’s really going to win them over. We need to re-examine our manhood and actually play somebody out of conference that matters. Nobody cares if we beat Akron or WCU or whoever else comes in. It’s a no win situation. Win by 40, and you should have won by 41, win by 10 and you’re criticized. Lose, and you’re done. Please, play somebody to prepare the troops for the important games and to excite the fan base.

  9. class of 74 06/23/2006 at 12:25 PM #

    Akron or Ohio State, Akron or Tennessee, Akron or Notre Dame and finally Akron or South Carolina now why don’t we play someone that our fans actually give a rat’s butt about? Our football program is heading in the wrong direction in more ways than one.

    Jeff – That’s pretty absurd. By that ‘reasoning’ EVERY school in the country is heading in the wrong direction because everyone plays at least one cupcake…and not every school plays in the conference rated as the nation’s best in 2 of the 3 last years. Texas plays North Texas, Rice and Sam Houston State OOC. Ohio State plays Northern Illinois and Bowling Green.

    There are a lot of things to complain about. But it really looks like our people will complain about ANYTHING.

  10. RickJ 06/23/2006 at 1:06 PM #

    Dick Sheridan wanted to play every game at Noon. If I am recalling correctly, he had two reasons:

    1. He was a conditioning freak and our players were generally lighter than our opponents and he thought the heat would play to our advantage. Is it possible Coach Amato wants to play this game at Noon, particularly since it is a team from Ohio?

    2. He thought playing at Noon gave the players much more free time for the weekend, particularly with their families that had come for the game. This is certainly true – while we are having a blast all day for a night game, the players are essentially sitting around all day waiting to play.

  11. redfred2 06/23/2006 at 1:15 PM #

    Some very MAJOR over achieving better be personally accomplished by none other than Mr. Chuck Amato himself, starting from day one this season, or this thing is going to explode right in his face. Where it then be will be dropped,….oh joy, back into the capable hands of the trusted AD.
    If the AD has any sense at all he had better be chewing on Chuck’s tail and several times each day, just to ensure his own obscurity from the spotlight.

    I’m not totally convinced that Amato can’t do the job, but like I said before, this will be the year that most will decide as to whether they want him to keep struggling to prove his worth in the name of NC State University.

  12. statered 06/23/2006 at 1:51 PM #

    How about everyone doing us a favor and canning the stupid “I am so pissed Chuck hasn’t reached my expectations” until we actually flame out this season? Its damned depressing.

  13. StateFans 06/23/2006 at 3:17 PM #

    ^ Agree with that.

  14. PBdafan 06/23/2006 at 3:18 PM #

    Okay, I’m pretty negative on Pack football right now, so here is some upside:

    – They should have the best tandem of running backs in the country, and if the O-line is anywhere decent, we could see some record setting performances

    – Stone has a year under his belt and should be more mature and confident

    – Darrell Blackman at WR is a breakaway threat every time he touches the ball

    – Although we have lost a lot of great players on defense, there is still some good quality there

    – special teams should be a strength

    – Finally, I thought the Carolina Hurricanes would be terrible this year, so what do I know?

  15. StateFans 06/23/2006 at 3:33 PM #

    Sheridan’s other reason for liking day games was “for the families”.

    Night games make it hard for fans from other parts of the State to get home after the game. All else being equal, the Sheridan/Monteith/Turner perspective was that night games were bad because they may create too much “fun” (partying?) for the fans. Who would ever want to do something like that?

  16. redfred2 06/23/2006 at 5:25 PM #

    statered

    If you’re refering to me in particular, hey, I’m optimistic. I agree with what PBdafan says about the running game. I just want to see the positive aspects dwelled upon and used this year like never before. A double reverse pass on third and two on your own twelve yard line doesn’t inspire much confidence. Just use what you have, simplifly and learn how to run/block effectively, keep shuffling the running backs in and out to keep them fresh and eat up the clock, and this year shouldn’t be as dreadful as many are expecting. Again, I am not looking at wins to gauge this season, just steady improvement with what we have.

  17. Wulfpack 06/23/2006 at 6:28 PM #

    SFN, I understand most programs schedule a few cupcakes. We certainly need every win we can get. Had it not been for Middle Tenn. State on the schedule last year there certainly would have been no bowl game in site. Regarding ‘why can’t we swing the night game’? I’ll tell you this. I’m highly unlikely to attend the Akron game as it is. Put the game at night…then that goes to no chance at all. You have to understand many fans simpy aren’t interested in seeing us beat up on App State and Akron. Time and time again State lays an egg against a worthy opponent the following game (see EKU-UNC last year). These tune-ups do nothing to prepare us for real competition. Chuck uses them to run the score up and inflate his already bloated ego, and then the team can’t get a first down the next game. There has been little to be excited about with respect to the football program the past few seasons. These games don’t do anything to help. I’ll take 2 cupcakes and 2 strong opponents. But 4 non-conference ‘yawn’ games drives me nuts. It really makes me start to believe that Chuck shuns competition.

  18. redfred2 06/23/2006 at 7:07 PM #

    Wulf

    It may be rainy and miserable, we can all hope for that.

    Wulf, On football scheduling, we pretty much agree. Talent wise, this year isn’t one to be especially pumped up about. But what if the Pack comes in fully prepared and ready to sneak up on somebody on a given Saturday? It wouldn’t show and there is no chance of doing that particular Saturday against Akron. Who cares anyway? The only shocker is if it’s the other way around.

    This is not a bowl season for the Pack, last year probably shouldn’t have been either. We’ve talked about this before, but we’re either playing good OCC competition hoping to really improve for the future overall, or we’re just going through the motions in hopes that a another barely above .500 season will keep producing more any bowl, any where, scenarios.

    We should have been kicking Carolina’s butts up one side and down the other in football recently. I guess as long we’re even, or a little better than they are in the number of bowl appearances, that’s considered success by some.

  19. metrowolf 06/24/2006 at 10:41 AM #

    Wulfpack, Class of 74, et al

    Don’t assume that Akron (or App St for that matter) are going to be cupcakes. I would say the chances are 50-50 or losing one of those games. After the season they had, vs the season we had, I don’t see either of those teams panicing at the thought of playing State (ie this isn’t ECU folks). They’re both going to be up for their respective games against us. Akron’s not even going to freak over the heat. It does get hot and humid up there in the summer.

    Perhaps the question I would ask is, when do we get a shot again at conference cupcake Duke? Won’t this be the 4th year since we’ve played them? According to the ACC site, we don’t play them until 2008. Six years! What’s up with that?

  20. Mr O 06/25/2006 at 10:29 AM #

    Check out the SEC’s OOC schedule this year. Playing cupcake homegames is the nature of college football unfortunately.

    To get decent opponents to travel, you have to pay them. UT is paying Washington St. $850,000 to come to Knoxville this year. And Washington St isn’t that attractive of an opponent to begin with.

    How much can we pay teams to come play us in Raleigh?

  21. redfred2 06/25/2006 at 9:42 PM #

    Again, if everyone at NC State is happy with the status and the actual strength of the Wolfpack football program as it stands right now, then by all means keep on playing cupcakes and running up the win column with meaningless games. They’ll just come back to haunt if the Pack is ever fortunate enough to get into a REAL bowl game with a few hundreds of thousands of fans watching and expecting a good football game. Then you can say, “I don’t understand, we the beat the hell out of Akron and Appalachian St., what just happened?”

  22. choppack1 06/26/2006 at 3:26 PM #

    I’m probably coming into this too late – but here’s what I’d like to know:
    1) What’s the payout?
    2) Is it required that we take this and the alloted time slot?
    3) It sounds like – if not holding this game open – they are trying to hold us open to this spot so not to interfere w/ the night game options.

    If they payoff isn’t huge, I can’ think of a good reason to have this game at noon. Noon games stink.

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