Somehow, the deficiencies of the Pac-12 Conference have followed the USC Trojans to the Big Ten. The Pac-12 is no longer a conference, or at least no longer what it was, thanks to years of horrible leadership and incompetence. One of those baffling decisions was the idea of Pac-12 After Dark.
On paper, the idea was filling another slot on network TV with a Pac-12 game, but the late kickoff cutoff more than half the country from tuning in, and even those on the West Coast would typically tune out after the first half.
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When the Trojans left the PAC for the Big Ten, everyone thought that the concept of the Pac-12 After Dark would die with the dilapidated conference. Somehow, it did not, and the late kickoff continues to follow and haunt the USC Trojans.
Game Time Announced For USC Trojans September 20th Game Against Michigan State
The Trojans will travel to West Lafayette this weekend to square off against the Purdue Boilermakers. It will be a lovely 12:30 PM PT kickoff.
However, the following week, when they return home to the comfortable confines of the Coliseum, they will get to host the Michigan State Spartans at 8:00 PM PT.
Pac-12 After Dark lives on in the guise of the Big Ten After Dark.
The game will air on FOX.
Up to this point, the Trojans have remained unranked. A win against Purdue could move them into the Top 25, but I would not hold my breath just yet. If they go into the Michigan State game still unranked, I also wouldn’t bank on anything changing after that game, as more than half of the AP voters will probably be asleep before the game even kicks off.
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Not only are 8 PM kickoffs a disadvantage for the players, the coaches, and the fans who want to attend, but they play a direct hand in how voters view teams, because, pun intended, most of them will not even view the game.
However, it is what it is. Get your coffee, energy drinks, or a 30-rack of Keystone Light and see you all at the Coli for a late-night date with Sparty.