pwd has good thoughts up about the uncertainty surrounding the Vandy kickoff time. At this point, it seems to be between ESPN at 8:00 p.m. and Raycom at 12:30 p.m..

The decision is ESPN’s, but that doesn’t mean UGA won’t have input. As Paul notes, pressure to select UGA for the earlier kickoff will come from several directions. Any other game and I might give the 8:00 kickoff a shot even with the administration’s distaste for night games, but with Homecoming in the balance I don’t see it.

Basically, you don’t ask these people to be at a game that ends after 11:30 p.m. That’s not a shot – a late night is a real consideration for many fans, and Homecoming is the one game where those considerations weigh more than they usually do. There are pregame and postgame events scheduled (and prepaid) that involve everyone from individual fans to Greeks to entire schools of the University.

It’s going to be a big game, and the need for a great home crowd can’t be understated. Unfortunately that’s not exactly the hallmark of a typical Homecoming crowd. The question is to what extent the administration will allow that typically casual Homecoming day to be altered to serve the team’s need for a crowd that’s involved in the game. Let’s just say that I’ll be pleasantly shocked if that happens.