When it comes to planning ahead, Conference USA serves its fans best
Three CUSA schools have confirmed kick times for all 12 of their games. Each of its schools has at least 10. Why can't more leagues operate like this?
Kickoff times for early season and select games were announced by conferences and networks last week, a celebratory milepost in the seemingly eternal offseason.
Collectively, the 134 FBS schools now have an average of 5.28 game times confirmed for the fall.
In reality, plans for attending games this season are much easier for fans of some schools than others.
And, for once, it pays to not be in a major conference.
Three schools — FIU, Jacksonville State and Sam Houston — know start times for all 12 of their games, a fan-friendly deal if there ever were one. Each school is in Conference USA, which is in the second year of its most recent media rights contracts with CBS Sports and ESPN. No league school has fewer than 10 confirmed start times for this coming season.
They might not make Big Ten money in that part of the country. But the league sure is serving its paying audience well.