Notre Dame Football: One Thought for Ball State - Time Zones Edition

Thought

How do the Ball State Cardinals relate to Time Zones you ask? Simple. When I think of Ball State and other MAC schools, my brain immediately goes to the first game on TV, most of the time announced by the iconic voice of Beth Mowins (serious props by the way). The games normally consist of defensive battles between teams like Toledo, Illinois, Kent State, Bowling Green, and or Indiana among others. Regardless, they are the first games of the day, and thus as we talked about last week....Football > Not Football. However, I found the tolerable nature of these games was heavily influenced by the time zone in which I was watching.

Living in 3 time zones over the last 8 years has given me some perspective on what it is like to be a college football fan in multiple areas of the country. I was able to factor in things such as the start of Gameday, the first game, the SEC game, and the ability to watch the late night Pac 12 games. Before you jump to any conclusions about the best time zone, I want to break down the various start times of these different events. Please put yourself in a position where you having nothing to do on a Saturday besides football....and determine where you would like to be. We will go from East to West, Embrace the Debate!

EST (Eastern Standard Time)

Waiting until Noon to watch football has always felt juuuuust a bit too long. Some people love it because the Prime Time Games are at peak bar times. However, good luck if you ever want to watch a Pac-12 Game.

Game Day: 9AM

First Game: Noon

SEC afternoon Game: 3:30

Prime Time Game: 8/8:30

Pac 12 Game: 10:30

CST (Central Standard Time)

I grew up in Central Time and currently live in Chicago, so I am a bit biased. Having the first game at 11 is absolutely ideal. It allows me to catch Gameday as soon as I wake up and accomplish a couple things in the morning before the first games start. Also, napping during the second quarter of the SEC game has been a staple of my life.

Game Day: 8AM

First Game: 11AM

SEC afternoon Game: 2:30

Prime Time Game: 7/7:30

Pac 12 Game: 9:30

MST (Mountain Standard Time)

Thought I have never been in Mountain time during football Season (I think MST may actually be a myth), I think the times are juuuuust a bit off. I feel like the games are a bit our of sync, either too early or a bit too late.

Game Day: 7AM

First Game: 10AM

SEC afternoon Game: 1:30

Prime Time Game: 6:30

Pac 12 Game: 8:30

PST ( Pacific Standard Time)

I spent a 3 years in California, and honestly....I loved it. Granted it was my first years after playing college football and for the first time in 4 years I was able to fully watch football. There was something magical about watching gameday in bed at 6AM, and being able to watch the Pac-12 games unique. I saw some great football between Stanford, USC, UCLA, Oregon, and others. Watching the Prime Time games at 5:30 did feel a bit different....Not sure I can pinpoint it, but it just felt...off.

Game Day: 6AM

First Game: 9AM

SEC afternoon Game: 12:30

Prime Time Game: 5:30

Pac 12 Game: 7:30

ADT (Alaskan Daylight Time)

(if there are any Alaskan readers please let me know what these times are, I am not totally convinced this is a real time zone)

HAST (Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time)

A sick part of me is on board with Hawaiian time. It is the place where you could absolutely watch every single game. I do not have kids now, but this would allow me to potentially take the late shift with a new born and watch Gameday. It would also give me the ability to go out at night in the Fall without constantly worrying about/checking the games. Food for thought.

Game Day: 3:30AM

First Game: 6AM

SEC afternoon Game: 9:30

Prime Time Game: 2:30

Pac 12 Game: 4:30

Vote

Please vote on the best time zone to watch college football, and share stories of experiences of your favorite/ideal spot.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish