5 Thoughts on Oregon Ducks Early Season Kick Times/TV details

By 750 THE GAME STAFF

The first three games on Oregon’s 2023 football schedule were officially assigned kickoff times and television details on Wednesday, as well as the 127th edition of the rivalry game with Oregon State on Fri. Nov. 24th, the day after Thanksgiving.

The Ducks open the season on Sat. Sept. 2nd hosting Portland State. That will be at 12:00 p.m. kickoff from Autzen Stadium, televised on the Pac-12 Network.

Oregon visits former Ducks quarterback Tyler Shough and the Texas Tech Red Raiders in a highly-anticipated non-conference battle in week two, Sat., Sept. 9th. That game will kick off at 4:00 p.m. from Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Tex., and will be broadcast nationally on FOX.

Hawaii visits Eugene in week three on Sat., Sept. 16th. That game kicks off at 5:00 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.

In the regular season finale, Oregon looks to avenge last year’s devastating loss in Corvallis when they host the Beavers on Nov. 24th. That game will be a 5:30 p.m. kickoff from Autzen Stadium, televised on FOX.

Here are five thoughts on the early season and rivalry game times and television details that came out Wednesday.

1. No Pac-12 After Dark (So Far!)

The week three game vs Hawaii seemed almost destined for an 8:00 p.m. kickoff time on Pac-12 Network, but getting a 5:00 p.m. slot is much more desirable and fan-friendly for anyone hoping to attend a game in person.

2. Juicy late afternoon window in Lubbock

Ducks fans may recall last year’s home loss to Washington was also a 4:00 p.m. time slot on FOX. The loss stung, for sure, but the game delivered 3.63 Million viewers, the most of any conference game Oregon played in 2022. Throw in a Big 12 audience hungry to make the Pac-12 look weak both off and on the field, and you have a recipe for another strong rating for a non-conference game involving the Ducks.

3. Ducks-Beavs is back to being a nationally coveted rivalry

After getting a 12:30 p.m. slot on ABC last year on Thanksgiving weekend, Oregon vs Oregon State will once again be on national network television: a 5:30 p.m. kickoff time on FOX on Black Friday. We know the rivalry on the field has been refreshed after Beavers victories in two of the last three years, and three of the last four meetings at Reser Stadium have been won by OSU. But Oregon State has not won in Eugene in their last seven tries — their last victory at Autzen came in 2007 in double overtime. The Ducks cost themselves a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game last year when they coughed up a 31-10 second-half lead, allowing OSU to come back to win without even passing the football. Revenge will be on the mind for Oregon, claiming a win in Eugene will be on OSU’s list, but it feels as though even higher stakes for the season could be on the line on Black Friday. Pac-12 title game? College Football Playoff? FOX will have the answer at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 24th.

4. BarnyBall comes into town for a High Noon tilt

Don’t sleep (in) on Portland State for a noon kickoff to open the season. Sure, Oregon should win by no less than three touchdowns. But Bruce Barnum’s club has put an early-season scare into more than one Power 5 team over his tenure, including an outright win at Washington State in 2015 and near upsets at Oregon State in 2017 and at the mighty SEC’s Arkansas Razorbacks in the 2019 opener. It may be a complete opposite season-opening matchup compared to Oregon’s draw last year with the reigning national champions in their own backyard, but it would be unwise to overlook PSU with a high noon kick at Autzen.

5. Where will the remaining primetime games fall…

Last year, eight of Oregon’s 12 regular-season games were nationally televised on either ABC, ESPN, or FOX. Among the kickoff times and t.v. assignments released Wednesday, two will be nationally televised on FOX (Texas Tech in week two and Oregon State on Black Friday), with ABC or ESPN yet to grab a game involving Oregon. Plenty of intriguing matchups will be on the table for Disney, should they so desire. Chief among them? Oregon’s road visit to Washington on Sat. Oct. 14th, where both programs will be coming off bye weeks. Or Coach Prime’s first-ever conference game on Sept. 24th when Colorado pays a visit to Autzen Stadium. Or how about the final-ever Pac-12 trip for USC to Eugene on Nov. 11th? Or even Oregon’s shot at redemption from a pair of losses away from home in 2021 to the Utes when the Ducks visit Salt Lake City on Oct. 28th. Each of those four games, one would think, would draw a strong national television audience, but official dates, times, and television partners will have to wait to be announced in-season.

@750TheGame