On Thursday afternoon, it was announced that the Georgia football game against Notre Dame will kickoff at 7:30.
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There’s nothing better than playing in primetime. There’s something about the 7:30-8:30 kickoff slot. The atmosphere is always more electrifying regardless of who the opponent is.
But this season, Georgia football isn’t just playing anyone from out of conference at a primetime slot. This year for just the second time ever and the first time in the regular season, the Georgia Bulldogs will play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
It was already going to be a game many college football fans were going to watch. But the game starting at 7:30 makes this game much more important for a number of reasons. In fact it might be the biggest non-conference game Georgia has played ever.
But what makes this game with Notre Dame so special? Well here are a few reasons that will answer that question.
The top 25’s eyes on Georgia
In College football we do not have a point system, there’s no more computer algorithm. A team’s spot in the rankings from one week through the season depends on the perception of several individuals.
Whether it’s other coaches in the Coaches Poll, sports writers in the AP Poll or the playoff committee for the CFP Poll, people still judge college athletics and determine rankings.
Just playing in primetime on a major network is important as those are spots reserved for the elite teams in college football. But winning against a non-conference opponent in primetime just feels bigger. The game could be played at noon and have the same outcome, but besides a few games here and there, when you think 12:00 pm ET kickoff, you don’t think “game of the week”.
A winning a game like that will have an enormous, positive effect on how coaches, sports writer and playoff committee members perceive Georgia football in 2017. Even if Georgia loses later in the year, people’s perception of Georgia won’t change much because of that one game.
The recruits eyes on Georgia
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Georgia football recruits on a national level but their biggest competition in recruiting will always be against other SEC programs. That’s why it’s always important to have an ideal kickoff time each and every week.
Georgia wants recruits watching Georgia football games when they aren’t on official visits or when their visit has ended. And for that week, there are only two major games for SEC teams. Georgia versus Notre Dame, and Auburn versus Clemson.
The Auburn versus Clemson game doesn’t have a time yet, but since Georgia plays at 7:30 that day, Auburn will probably want to play at 3:30 ET. It’s not primetime, but it’s SEC time, the time the biggest SEC game each week kicks off.
The recruits that are looking to play in the SEC will get to watch Auburn, but then watch Georgia right after. No other games to distract them.
Of course Auburn and Clemson might both shoot for a different time. But unless they kickoff at 7:30 as well, Georgia will have the full attention of many of the recruits they’re targeting.