MSU AD Alan Haller expects Friday football games to be popular: 'I do think it's something that people will enjoy'

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller explained at Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday that playing games on Friday evenings is part of the cost of expansion and being a premiere league in the country. Plus, in some circumstances, the Spartans are quite content to play on a Friday night.

The Big Ten, as part of its TV deal with FOX Sports and an array of other broadcast partners, will feature a number of games on Friday nights during the 2024 season. The Big 12 also has a number of matchups featured.

“I think it’s part of the new era of college athletics, especially in college football,” Haller said. “We all have to get used to Friday night games as part of the deal we signed, very lucrative for everyone involved. And it’s an adjustment period, not only for our fans and our players, but everybody involved in college athletics. For me, I wouldn’t say I’m an advocate for Friday night games but I do think it’s something that people will enjoy, having Friday and Saturday, to watch some high-level college football.”

The Spartans will play among the most on Friday night in 2024, playing a pair of games on FOX on Fridays: Oct. 4, vs. Oregon and on Nov. 22, at Purdue. Additionally, the Spartans will play the opener on Friday, Aug. 30, against Florida Atlantic. The opener will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.

The Friday night opening game has become something of a common practice for the Spartans, which have played a Friday night opener 11 of the last 13 seasons. The only exceptions were in 2017 and during the 2020 Covid season.

And Haller spoke to the specific appeal that has for the Michigan State fanbase. By playing on a Friday night ahead of Labor Day weekend, Haller said, Spartan fans have grown a bit accustomed to being free on Saturday for the final week of the summer — and often use that time to do some final summer activities.

“We had to work for it a little bit, but the Big Ten is a great partner and they listened to us and they understood that our fans are used to that experience and being able to enjoy the Labor Day weekend and close out some of the things they do Up North,” Haller said. “Lucky for us, they allowed us to do that.”

Tony Petitti: Friday games are ‘national exposure’ opportunity for Big Ten

Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti and the conference’s decision-makers have come up with an idea to give some added national exposure their members throughout the 2024 college football season.

Instead of focusing all their attention on Saturdays each weekend, the Big Ten has singled out one game a week that’ll be played on Friday night, allowing the full resources of the conference to be put behind a team or matchup that wouldn’t normally receive it.

For example, the Washington Huskies will take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. in Piscataway, and that game has taken on a life of it’s own, instead of just being your normal Saturday showdown. Additionally, a game like Iowa traveling to take on UCLA on Nov. 8 will get the standalone treatment, as well.

It’s a fascinating idea, and one that’s polarized many college football fans. At Big Ten Media Days on Tuesday afternoon, Petitti took some time to explain the reasoning, and where the idea could go in the future.

“I think part of it — if you look at our footprint on Saturday, having three broadcast partners, supported by the cable presence and Big Ten Network, I think Friday’s an opportunity for national exposure,” Petitti said while at the podium. “I think you’re going to see some programs there really embrace the opportunity to play on Friday. Of course, we don’t want to burden any one institution. We care about what happens at the stadium, as well, and what happens on campus. But if you look at it, it’s an opportunity to get programs, to showcase them as they build, and matchups. So, I think for us, to have that footprint, is really terrific.

“I think, on the hurdle side, look, there’s traditional places that want to play more on Saturday. We understand and respect that. It’s a league discussion, that involves all 18, about the best way to format our schedule, where coaches are embracing opportunities to have that exposure on Friday night. We try to lean into that. So, that’s the way we approach it. Where are we more likely to go? That’ll change over time, but I think, collectively, we all understand that we’re doing this together, and we’ve got to make every telecast opportunity work, for the conference to be as strong and healthy as we can.”