Peach Bowl CEO breaks down the "why" behind Clemson/Georgia noon start

Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosts Clemson and Georgia at noon on Aug. 31. (Photo: Brett Davis / USATODAY)

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Friday, August 16 2024

Even the kickoff times can have fascinating storylines.

Clemson and Georgia’s opener in Atlanta is getting closer by the day, and bits and pieces of news are slowly coming to the forefront.

One of the earliest nuggets both fanbases could obtain was the start time for the non-conference matchup, airing at noon on ABC come August 31. To say the gametime was a letdown for both groups was an accurate assessment. Many expected a matchup between the Tigers and the Bulldogs to be at least a 3:30 kick.

With both now ranked in the top 15 of the first AP Poll, there will be more eyes than ever on this contest.

Gary Stokan joined the Orange Crush Podcast to clarify why this decision was made.

Stokan has a unique background in working with the Peach Bowl since 1998 and is familiar with how games are shaped behind the scenes.

When asked about the noon kickoff, Stokan referenced a conversation with ESPN about how Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff model was used to keep College Gameday’s sizeable audience in the No. 14 Clemson/No. 1 Georgia start.

“It used to be the 3:30 game, that was the big deal,” Stokan said. “Then, it was the need to have the night game. In talking to ESPN, I think some of it is led by FOX with how they put their best BIG Ten game at noon. When it comes to ESPN and its gameday show, it wants to use the viewing audience from gameday to transition to a big game. This works to help each other.”

The Big Noon Kickoff for FOX saw several of their most significant games reach record-breaking viewership at noon, notably slotting Deion Sanders and Colorado in that window.

Time wasn’t the only factor for ESPN; however, another matchup the network could rarely grab became available for a primetime slot.

Typically, NBC owns the rights to all of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football action, but week one provided ESPN with an opportunity.

“Notre Dame at Texas A&M came into the picture,” Stokan said. “Because they don’t get Notre Dame games because of the NBC contract, A&M made that possible because it is a home game and falls under the SEC contract. The SEC is with ESPN, and they wanted to put that game on in the evening. It is two top 20 teams, and they don’t get the Irish that often.”

Despite some initial backlash to the timing of Clemson’s opener against Georgia, Stokan is confident that fans will see this start as beneficial to the number of eyes watching in Atlanta.

“We like the noon slot,” Stokan said. “It has changed with how people perceive that slot. I think not only did they want Clemson and Georgia to build up Gameday, because we have the best game in the nation. They also wanted those numbers to build into Miami and Florida and then into the Notre Dame matchup. That’s ESPN’s way of doing things, and I understand that.”