Texas A&M football is known for a fanatical crowd and now they’ll have the added advantage of a few evening kickoffs to start the 2018 season.
The Texas A&M faithful are loud, proud and always in their seats come kickoff (although the student body remains standing). However, the decibel levels can wane after halftime if the summer sun is still shining. The Aggies won’t have that problem when their 2018 campaign gets under way.
The first three home games of the 2018 season have all been scheduled for the evening:
- Thursday, Aug. 30 – Northwestern State, 7:30 p.m. CT
- Saturday, Sep. 8 – Clemson, 6:00 p.m. CT
- Saturday, Sep. 15 – Louisiana-Monroe, 6:30 p.m. CT
Home field advantage, especially inside the newly remodeled Kyle Field, is serious business. Given the venue location, the level of importance of an evening kickoff time cannot be overstated. It gets hot in Texas, and even early September weather has been known to tickle triple digits. Rest assured, a full day of “hydrating” plus cooler weather will have Kyle Field in a fever pitch when Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers arrive in Week 2.
Following the Aggies’ first three home games they’ll hit the road to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. The consensus expectation projects the Aggies at 2-1 entering their showdown with Nick Saban. But, what if a few extra degrees of intensity pumped into Kyle Field against the Tigers is enough for Jimbo Fisher’s squad to spring an early season upset?
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If that does happen Texas A&M could be playing Alabama for the catbird seat in the SEC West and thrust themselves in the College Football Playoff conversation. Is it possible for the difference between an 11 a.m. CT and 6 p.m. CT kickoff to make that much difference? If you don’t think so, you need to stand on third deck when it’s 102 degrees. BTHO 11 a.m. kickoffs.