Coming into the season, the Oregon Ducks were expected to be one of the top ranked teams in the country, and therefore, the expectation was that the team would play a ton of night games. Instead, the Ducks got off to a rough start, and after the Northwestern game, Dan Lanning’s team is 5-3 heading into the final stretch of the season.
One of the games that everyone circled early on as one of the toughest games of the year was the matchup with the Michigan Wolverines, with both teams expected to contend for the Playoff. Instead, after a rough start for both teams, neither is being given the primetime games, as the Wolverines hold a 5-3 record.
Michigan vs. Oregon dealt early afternoon kickoff time
On Monday, the Big Ten announced the kickoff times for the November 14th games, and the showdown against the Michigan Wolverines will start at 12:30 PM PT. The television partner was also set with the announcement, as the game will be shown on Fox’s FS1.
Back at 12:30 PM PT again next Saturday, Nov. 14, when the Ducks return home to host Michigan. pic.twitter.com/8muPx4UQJq
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) November 2, 2026
The game being set with the early kickoff time comes with plenty of positives and negatives, but with the way the teams have played, it was the window that made the most sense.
For fans, the early kickoff is a major plus, especially for those traveling to Eugene for the game. Nobody wants to spend the entire day waiting for kickoff, and an earlier start also makes it easier for visiting fans to make the trip without having to book a hotel for the night…