Tennessee coach Josh Heupel may need to make a major adjustment to his football program if television continues to dictate that the SEC’s best teams play at night.
Entering the season, no one really knew exactly how things would play out in terms of game day schedules with the new ABC/ESPN television deal with the SEC. Now, we know.
It has become obvious that Disney, the company that owns ABC and ESPN, prefers its premier matchups to be at night. That was the case last week when the Alabama-Georgia game was carried at 7:30 EST. Tennessee feels their pain.
The Vols have filled the night slot three straight times before their bye week. Sure, they’ve won all three games comfortably, but a night game on the road could mean the Vols don’t hit their pillow until 5 a.m. on Sunday morning. That makes recovery tough and it’s only going to get worse.
The SEC announced that the Tennessee-Florida game will be held at 7 p.m. on Oct. 12. This week, the Vols play at Arkansas at 7:30 p.m., which could be a challenge considering the Vols practice in the mornings. That is quite a challenge to one’s body clock, especially on the road. Perhaps Heupel should consider moving practices to the afternoon if he intends on being one of the showcase teams in the SEC.
The “body clock” issue certainly seemed to be at play in one of the most impressive wins of the Heupel era. Tennessee thumped LSU 40-13 in 2022 when the game was held at noon EST/11 a.m. CST. That was a challenge for the Tigers, who practiced in the afternoon, and looked like they had just fallen out of bed and into Tiger Stadium against the Vols. The game was one-sided early and LSU was never able to rebound.
The marquee game of the week was previously held at 3:30 EST when the SEC had its television deal with CBS. Now that things have changed, it may be time to make some adjustments.
Tennessee will almost assuredly play in two more night games, at home against Alabama on Oct. 19 and on the road against Georgia on Nov. 16. Both of those games are currently “flex” games meaning they could be played in the afternoon or at night. However, if Disney holds true to form, those games will be played at night.
The Vols are also scheduled to play two more night games in the 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. time slot. Fortunately, both games are at home as the Vols will host Kentucky and Mississippi State in Neyland Stadium. Still, no player likes too much time to think on game day. If Tennessee’s players were surveyed, they’d probably prefer playing their games at noon, but certainly not at night most every single week.
The night games, however, do provide an advantage over other time slots. Viewership is certainly higher during primetime, which can only continue to build Tennessee’s brand.
“It’s been amazing being able to play at that time, having more eyes on you,” Tennessee linebacker Keenan Pili said on Monday. “It’s been really awesome. I feel like at the end of the day what we look at is we have to come prepared and ready. That way we’re able to put on the product that we’ve been working so hard on each and everyday.”
Or each and every afternoon? That would be a wise idea for Heupel to consider in the offseason.
