We’re officially less than 100 days away from the first Michigan State game of the Pat Fitzgerald era. The season is basically right around the corner with the NBA draft deadline in the rearview mirror and official visit season taking center stage.
As we do inch closer to the start of the season, we’re going to see some kickoff times announced every so often. on Thursday, two more non-conference kickoff times were announced.
Michigan State revealed that its season opener against Toledo will be an 8 p.m. ET kickoff which isn’t exactly abnormal. The Spartans usually begin the season on a Friday night and this year is no different. Everyone expected a later kickoff time for that game, but the only question was when it would be between 7-8 p.m.
The other non-conference kickoff time announced was Eastern Michigan the following week and the Spartans will be avoiding a noon game yet again. That game will kick at 3:30 p.m. ET.
That means that Michigan State isn’t going to see a noon kickoff in non-conference play which is a little surprising. The Spartans usually play a team like Eastern at noon every year but they’re going to avoid that and give students a chance to get over their Friday night hangovers.
As someone who has to drive an hour for games, I can also appreciate this because it gives fans a chance to secure a good tailgate spot with hours to spare instead of having to hit the road at 7 a.m. just to hope for a spot.
We also know the Week 3 kickoff time against Notre Dame (7:30 p.m. ET) and the Nov. 20 home showdown against Oregon (8 p.m. ET). Get that coffee ready this season.
When will Michigan State’s first noon kickoff be?
The only kickoff times that have been announced — Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Notre Dame, and Oregon — have been slotted for 3:30 or later, so when will that first dreaded noon game be?
If I were to venture my best educated guess, I would go with Oct. 17 against Northwestern. My second guess would be Sept. 26 against Nebraska, but that’s not the least intriguing Big Ten opener so I could see a network pick it up for 3:30 instead of noon. I could also see Wisconsin being a noon kick. I’d love to be wrong and see nothing but 3:30 kickoffs for the entire season, but we know that’s not happening.
Going the first month without a noon kick feels illegal, but I’m not complaining.
Add us as a preferred source on Google