Arizona football coach Rich Rodriguez "isn't exactly a fan" of the number of late kickoffs his team has had, including Saturday's game against Oregon State, which "will be the latest" of the '17 season with an 8:15pm local time start on ESPN2, according to Zack Rosenblatt of the ARIZONA DAILY STAR. UA "hasn't had a kickoff" before 5:00pm local time this year and has only had three such kickoffs in its last 26 games. Rodriguez said, "Arizona has not played one single day game this year. Can we do what we can to put them in the afternoon slot? TV will still dictate it, but I think you gotta ask the question." Rodriguez said that he "appreciates the exposure, but he's not the only one impacted by all of the late kickoffs." Rodriguez: "I'm also mindful of the fans. ... From a fan's standpoint, I think a little earlier than that is more enjoyable." Rodriguez added that the late kicks "might be contributing to attendance issues across the country" (ARIZONA DAILY STAR, 11/7). Rodriguez is not the first West Coast-based coach to bemoan the number of late kickoffs for his school. Washington's Chris Petersen last month apologized to fans for the number of late kicks, which prompted Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott to respond. Boise State has also asked ESPN for some earlier kickoffs to help the school with declining football attendance (THE DAILY).
DOWN TO BUSINESS: In California, Scott Wolf noted this past Saturday's Stanford-Washington State ended up being "televised to most of the country" on Fox Business Network after the Fox broadcast network stuck with Penn State-Michigan State following a multi-hour weather delay. But the move to Fox Business was actually an "upgrade for most TV viewers because the game was not on the often-unavailable" Pac-12 Networks. It also "demonstrated the peculiar aspects of the Pac-12 TV deal, which can see games televised at any time of the day or night and just about on any channel." Wolf: "Was this what Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott envisioned when he trumpeted the conference's current TV contract?" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 11/7).
