Badger of Honor
Fansided

Wisconsin Football Kickoff Times

By Noah Seligman

Nov 12, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Jazz Peavy (11) rushes with the football after catching a pass during the first quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Jazz Peavy (11) rushes with the football after catching a pass during the first quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Big Ten conference football kickoff times are slowly taking shape but not complete

Badger football knew it was starting the 2017 season with a night game against Utah State at Camp Randall Stadium.  But now a few more games have definite start times established.

The Badgers will play @ BYU on Saturday September 16th @ 2:30 p.m. CST.  The game will be broadcast on ESPN or ABC.  In this case, Wisconsin – BYU should be a decent game but its slated for the same time as Louisville – Clemson which should get considerable attention.

Wisconsin will play 11 a.m. CST games on Saturday October 21st vs Maryland (Homecoming) and October 28th @ Illinois.

"The Badgers currently own a seven-game win streak over Illinois, the longest by either team in the history of a series that dates back to 1895."

More from Badger of Honor

In general, the later the game the better for Wisconsin at least for home dates.  The student section takes a bit of time to fill which dulls the home environment and isn’t a particularly impressive visual for broadcast purposes.

The night atmosphere in Camp Randall is something special as fans and students have had all day to “prepare.”   It’s loud and intimidating for the visitors.  It’s fun and dynamic for visiting recruits.

The later the game the more likely it is on ESPN or ABC and thus attract more viewers.  There are fewer games to compete with.

The higher ranked teams, the better teams, the ones that go to big bowl games, the programs feeding the NFL talent pipeline.  That’s who you see on nationally television, especially the night games that draw the biggest audience share.

Next: Wisconsin Football: Camp Randall Memories

This helps boost Wisconsin’s profile which in turn helps with recruiting nationwide.  In addition, Wisconsin’s sponsorship contract is more valuable the more visible Badger football is.

Of course, Illinois and Maryland’s recent history is not great which is probably why the Badger matchups with those schools don’t get pushed into primetime.