Category: Notre Dame Football Game Day

The Raleigh News & Observer reports on ABC’s decision to have Notre Dame’s game at North Carolina State kick off at 12 noon, for national broadcast on ABC itself (rather than, for example, ABC Sports’ cable affiliate, ESPN).

N.C. State’s home game with Notre Dame on Saturday will kick off at noon and be televised nationally on ABC …. Predictably, N.C. State fans are not happy with the early start time. … The ACC has a television contract with ESPN, worth about $2 billion, so the schools do not control start times. … Notre Dame, even at 2-3, is a national attraction, and ESPN only gets so many shots at the Fighting Irish, given all of its home games are broadcast by NBC. The Irish actually played in the noon national slot on Saturday against Syracuse (a 50-33 win). …

It turns out that, in addition to Wolf Pack fans preferring a later start for longer, easier tailgating, N.C. State football actually has a weaker record for mid-day games.

… for N.C. State, its record at home in night games (6 p.m. or later starts) is 19-5 since the start of the 2007 season. Its record in home noon or 12:30 p.m. games over the same time span is 11-10 (and 11-10 in games that start between 3 and 4 p.m.). … those home wins at night … include a pair of upsets over Florida State.

Tailgating apparently will begin at 7 in the morning.

So noon it is. What time do the stadium lots open for tailgating? Quick math (12 minus 5 equals 7).  So it’s 7 a.m.  For local fans, that’s an early start.  For fans who have to drive longer, that’s a super early start. (Hence, the general displeasure with the noon kick.)

Click here for The Raleigh News & Observer: “Noon kickoff for Notre Dame’s visit to NC State”