For a team that's still basking in the glow of a national championship and hasn't lost a regular-season game in nearly two years, you'd think the Indiana Hoosiers would be prime-time darlings. Instead, they're stuck in the midday slot, and their fans are absolutely fed up.
Last week's clash with Nebraska kicked off at noon. This week's massive home showdown with Ohio State? Noon. And just yesterday, the announcement came down that their October 24 tilt with Michigan will also be a noon start. Add those to the two noon kickoffs that opened the season, and that's five early starts in their first eight games.
To put that in perspective, Ohio State only had four noon games all season as defending champs last year. Michigan had just three before their rivalry game the year before. And in 2023, Georgia—the reigning champs then—had a grand total of two noon games all year. Indiana has had just two night games: one on a Friday and another that was a Big Ten Network exclusive. They haven't played a Saturday night prime-time regular-season game since September 20, when they faced Illinois on NBC.
The frustration is boiling over on social media. "This is a joke right?" one fan posted on X. "I will never see a game kick off at 3:30 or later ever again," another lamented. "omgggg WE'RE TIRED OF NOON," a third declared, while others simply wrote, "Noon kicks freaking suck" and "Another noon game for your reigning national champs…"
The message is clear: networks don't seem to think Indiana deserves the spotlight, despite their on-field dominance. But let's be fair—before Curt Cignetti took over, Indiana football wasn't exactly a ratings juggernaut. The program's sudden rise has left TV executives scrambling, defaulting to safer picks with built-in fanbases that have been around for decades.
It might take a while for Indiana to earn that kind of respect in the eyes of the powers that be. But as the wins keep piling up, the demand for prime-time football will only grow louder. For now, Hoosier fans will just have to set their alarms and hope the networks eventually wake up.
Meanwhile, the criticism of Cignetti's game management after the Nebraska scare shows that even the best coaches face scrutiny. And if you're looking for more kickoff drama, check out how a hurricane shook up the schedule earlier this season. But for Indiana, the real storm might be the one brewing in their fans' hearts every Saturday at noon.
