Kickoff Set for Texas A&M football vs. Arkansas Razorbacks
For the second straight week, the Texas A&M football team will be looking at a noon eastern/11 AM central kickoff time. The matchup against the Arkansas Razorbacks will be in the early slot on the day, with the channel not yet decided. It will either air on the SEC Network or ESPN, depending on the results from the upcoming week’s action.
See you at Jerry World, Aggies 👍#BTHOarkansas pic.twitter.com/ZI3QNgFPfp
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) September 18, 2023
This is the fourth time since joining the SEC that the Aggies and Hogs have faced off at noon in Arlington, with the other occurrences being 2017-2019. The 2014 season saw this matchup occupy the 2:30 CT CBS slot, while both 2015 and 2016 were night games on ESPN. As I mentioned, 2017, 2018, and 2019 were all 11 AM slots, as the Hogs faced an extended slump in the end of Bret Bielema’s tenure all the way through the Chad Morris experiment. The 2020 season saw this matchup come to Kyle Field due to COVID restrictions ruling out the normal locale in Arlington, and that game was an evening affair. 2021 once again saw this game return to the CBS as a ranked-vs-ranked matchup for the first time in quite a while. Last year, of course, was an evening game on ESPN.
Though an early kickoff like this might irk some Texas A&M football fans, I think this might be a good thing. Early kickoffs can be trouble when you’re at home, but when you’re on the road—or at a neutral site—it tends to equalize things. Of course, neither team will truly have home field advantage, but for a team with the struggles that this Texas A&M football team has had away from the friendly confines of Kyle field, I see this as a positive.