The 2024 College Football season is less than 90 days away and things continue to constantly change in the landscape of the most popular collegiate sport. Athlete compensation continues to develop. Conferences are officially preparing for their newly realigned schedules and travels. But perhaps the most notable change for many Texas and Oklahoma football fans will be the Red River Rivalry in 2024.

Not only is this year's game going to be the first time that the greatest rivalry in college football faces off as an SEC Conference game, but it's also going to be starting at a different time than fans are accustomed to seeing.

According to Brett McMurphy of Action Network the Red River Rivalry will be kicking off at 3:30pm ET on October 12th on ABC or ESPN. The game, of course, has recently been played at 11am local time.

Oklahoma & Texas 1st Red River Rivalry as SEC members will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. ET Oct. 12 on ABC or ESPN, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. OU-Texas is traditionally an 11 a.m. local kick, but moves back to 2:30 p.m. CT – giving fans more time in Dallas to, uhhh, get prepared

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) May 30, 2024

Social media and fans all around have already begun reacting both positively and negatively concerning this news. So, is this a good thing or bad thing?

The Good for the Red River Rivalry

The good news for fans who will be attending the Red River Rivalry game is that they don't have to wake up so early if they want to partake in all of the Texas State Fair activities before the game. Fans can take their time, have some fair food for lunch, pre-game with their favorite libation(s), and coast into the stadium for the early-afternoon kick.

It also should allows fans who can't attend the game in-person more time to host a pre-game party for what is quite often the biggest game of the year for both teams. The community aspects of the start time move seem like a win.

And for traditionalists who don't like change, the game has actually historically been a later kickoff anyway. The 11am local kick has been something of a recent 21st century creation, but was always an afternoon start time in the several decades prior.

The Bad for the Red River Rivalry

However, the later afternoon start time does mean that the game will likely be even hotter for fans attending the game. And then after the game concludes, leaving the stadium will be quite the spectacle as over 90,000 fans try to exit amid Dallas Saturday night traffic. That will be a potential nightmare for those who want to actually get somewhere for dinner after game.

The vast majority of people won't be attending in person, but the later start may have a negative effect on them as well. The afternoon window is the most contested and busy college football TV slate during October every season. The 11am and 12pm CT games will still be wrapping up at the Red Rivalry kickoff. And other high priority SEC and Big Ten games will be kicking off alongside the Red River Rivalry now too. Fans will be faced with a much tougher decision when it comes to which game(s) to watch or not watch in that window, thus potentially diminishing the game as a national focus that day.

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In the end, it's just a slight change of kickoff time. For those fans who prioritize the community aspects of the Red River Rivalry game day celebration, the move to 2:30pm CT might be best. But there are certainly some downsides to the move, creating even more change for fans at a time where nothing seems sacred in the sport anymore.

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