Wednesday, April 16, 2014
The Plain Dealer
COLUMBUS
If you’re bummed that Ohio State’s game at Michigan State on Nov. 8 — a rematch of last year’s Big Ten Championship Game — hasn’t yet been scheduled at night, not all is lost yet.
There’s still a chance perhaps the most anticipated Big Ten game of the season could be played under the lights.
Though Michigan State wasn’t one Ohio State’s three scheduled primetime opponents released Tuesday morning, Mark Rudner, the Big Ten’s senior associate commissioner for television administration, told Cleveland.com that there still could be more primetime games released later this spring or early in the summer.
“The schedule is not yet complete,” Rudner said. “The Big Ten Network is going to have some games, ABC could still schedule an additional game. Whatever games are left will be announced in the next week or month or so.”
On the same night as Ohio State-Michigan State, CBS will likely choose to televise major SEC matchup Alabama-LSU. Because ESPN/ABC always is looking for competition, Ohio State-Michigan State could provide incentive for that matchup, particularly because of the success of last year’s Big Ten Championship Game.
If that game were to be selected, the institutions likely wouldn’t have a problem. Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has long said he prefers night games because of the exposure and advantages in recruiting, and Rudner said Big Ten institutions understand the benefits of playing in primetime.
In other words, bring on night games.
“I think from our schools, at least the sense that I have from our athletic directors, coaches and others associated with our programs, is ‘Maybe we can play host to a November primetime game without much difficulty,’ “ Rudner said. “We still have particular problems, certainly moving large groups of people out of stadiums after midnight is not an easy task, especially in places like State College or Columbus – you’re talking about more than 100,000 people leaving one site at 11 p.m. or midnight, and that has its own game management issues.
“But I do think there’s more willingness now on the part of our institutions to recognize that primetime football is a big event and it does help in many, many ways the overall branding of the football program and the conference. I think they’re willing to work with conference and the media partners to create that sort of special environment that the fans, whether in-stadium or watching on TV, really love.”