Falcon Football Schedule Game Times....

The Falcons have announced their home game times for 2009, and while this has been the cause of some questions in the past few weeks, we are way ahead of most teams in FBS who do not get game times until a couple weeks before the contest.

Looking at what we have, here are a few comments.

Home Schedule With Kickoff Times
Sept. 3 --- Troy, 7 p.m.
Sept. 26 --- Boise State, 7 p.m.
Oct. 3 --- Ohio, 4 p.m.
Oct. 24 --- Central Michigan, Noon (ESPN Plus & Game Plan)
Nov. 20 --- Akron, 5:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Nov. 27 -- Toledo, 12:30 p.m. or 3:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

I'm glad to see the Boise game at 7 under the lights. I think this is our best opportunity to put a good foot forward and give us an electric feel in the stadium.

As the year gets later I don't mind playing earlier, although the Central game would also be great under the lights.

The nation will primal scream at the Akron game being on a Friday at 5:30. I will start by saying that I understand that our contract requires this and that there is nothing the University can do about it. And that's true, to a point. The University and the conference could have not allowed us to get into a position where our contract required this.

They chose not to. It might have been the right choice, but it was a choice.

It more or less replicates the Buffalo Experience from last year, which ended with Coach Brandon calling the crowd pitiful. I wrote on this at the time....but to recap, for someone on a work day to be at the Doyt at 5:30 in what last year was a snow storm and then add in a team that was awful at home, and you just aren't going to get huge crowds for a game like that.

People without a sense of balance (like me) will take a day or half day off work to make it happen--even if the games means nothing. But, most people will not, even if the game is important. It just makes the game into a made for TV event.

I do not join those people who think the day after Thanksgiving is a bad day for a game. In past years, we have drawn well for Toledo on that day, if the team is good. If the team is bad, we will draw the same on Friday as we would have on Saturday.

And I think there are a lot of people with the day off, though I don't have any data on that.

Finally, of course, I implore Falcon fans to enjoy the six home games, because we aren't likely to see it again.

Being at the Doyt makes me happy.
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