The Pac-12 has decided not to move forward with any 9 a.m. PT kickoffs this season, but is open to revisiting the idea in the future, a conference spokesman confirmed.
At Pac-12 media day last month, commissioner Larry Scott said the conference had held preliminary discussions about the potential for playing a couple Pac-12 games in that time slot as early as this season. Scott cited fan frustration with late-night kickoffs and the exposure for the Pac-12 in new markets as reasons to consider the change.
Multiple schools expressed interest in continuing to explore the concept for 2020, according to Andrew Walker, the Pac-12’s vice president for public affairs.
Several coaches, including UCLA’s Chip Kelly, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham and Cal’s Justin Wilcox, all expressed an interest in playing an early game when the idea was raised last month.