For the second week in a row, the Georgia Bulldogs are looking at a noon kickoff at Sanford Stadium. That means a 10 p.m. bed check for players on Friday night, a 6:30 a.m. wake-up call on Saturday and a 10:15 a.m. “Dawg Walk.”
The No. 12-ranked Bulldogs (2-1, 0-1 SEC) had the same scenario last week when Troy came to town. But that was Troy. This is Georgia’s SEC home opener against Tennessee (2-1, 0-0). You can tell the home-field atmosphere that awaits the Bulldogs is a concern for coach Mark Richt.
“A great challenge for us,” he said during his news conference on Tuesday. “We’re really counting on the Bulldog Nation to be there early and be excited and help our guys feel lthe love and feel the excitement and feel the energy.”
Richt followed that up Wednesday with a tweet on his Twitter account:
Georgia’s first two games of the season against Clemson and South Carolina were played at 5:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., respectivly. Those are considered prime slots for college football viewing and both venues were rocking at kickoff, though a weather delay dampened the enthusiasm slightly at Willilams-Brice Stadium. The CBS national game is always at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Noon games are generally regarded as less significant to television viewers, at least according to the executives that schedule them. The bidding process begins with CBS selecting first, then ESPN and the SEC Network, and so on. Texas A&M and Arkansas are playing on CBS in the 3:30 game this week. Missouri and South Carolina were selected for the prime night-time slot on the SEC Network at 7:30. Georgia’s game is being carried by ESPN.
While it’s difficult for both UGA students and families to get up early and get to the stadium for a noon kick, not everybody dislikes the early starts.
“Actually I don’t hate them,” senior center David Andrews said. “I’m kind of a morning person. I wake up pretty early every morning even without an alarm clock. It’s nice to get to spend some time with your family afterward and have a little bit of a weekend. You’re done at 3:30 or 4, so you can have some time to relax and watch come other college football.”
That’s especially enjoyable after a win.
