If it feels as though every USC football home game this year has had an early start, you are not crazy. Three of USC’s four Saturday home games this season have kicked off at either 12:30 or 1:00 p.m. in Los Angeles. The lone late Saturday game the Trojans had was their home opener against Utah State all the way back in early September. (USC did also play a Friday night home game against Rutgers in October.)
On Saturday, the kickoff time was announced for the Trojans’ rivalry showdown with Notre Dame next weekend. Sure enough, the Trojans will once again be playing a day game. The matchup will kick off at 12:30 p.m. Pacific time. It will be televised on CBS.
For most USC fans, this is very frustrating. Early kickoffs mean waking up at the crack of dawn, less time for tailgating, and spending the afternoon under the hot Coliseum sun. To have that for four of the Trojans’ five Saturday home games this year means that fans will finish the season having had only one full day of tailgating at the Coliseum.
In particular, having marquee matchups against Penn State and Notre Dame kick off at 12:30 p.m. local time is sure not to please fans. Yet, with the Big Ten television contract bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars for the school, there is not much the average person can do about it.
Besides, things could always be worse. Ohio State recently made national headlines for the fact that the team’s final six games will all kick off at noon Eastern time. While the Trojans would happily trade places with the Buckeyes on the field, USC fans can take solace in knowing that their team at least gets an occasional night game.
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